


The Living Daylights

by ashethehedgehog



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, Illustrated, M/M, Mages, Magic, Magic-Users, Monster World, Mystery, Tension, Various OCs - Freeform, Wizards, a whole lot of tension, well more like npcs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 06:59:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 121,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5154575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashethehedgehog/pseuds/ashethehedgehog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Monster World AU<br/>Yugi was just your average Beast Tamer trying to get by in life. After one fateful encounter, he finds his world beginning to turn upside down, and everything he though he knew was changing.<br/>But there are secrets hidden behind everything, and not everyone is who they seem to be. The mysteries of the past begin to unearth themselves, and Yugi will have to decide just who he can trust among the deception and shadows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> October 2017 edit: Hey wow time flies, been a while since I wrote this. I've improved a lot since these early days of multi chapter writing, but have decided to leave these old works up as an archive, to keep to show myself my improvement over time, but also because it would be pretty sucky to delete it if people enjoyed the fic. So if you're reading this post my edit, it's an old work, as a fair warning. It's choppy at times, but it's still a finished thing, and I'm proud I stuck through and completed it. Hope you enjoy The Living Daylights!
> 
> Original 2015 Note: This is a fic I have been working on on and off for the past five months. The story and plot was developed by myself and KarenR2(AKA Renrink over on Tumblr), and I've been doing the writing~ All the art featured in the chapters is all mine too, I've tried to include some scenes in there to help give the story some more life (plus I just really wanted to illustrate it :D ). I should probably also point out that the pairing side of this story will only be implied, because I cannot write romance to save my life. Action and adventure I'm good with, romance, ehhh not so much ^^;; Also every chapter will be named after a song, because why not?  
> I hope you enjoy the the first chapter of The Living Daylights, otherwise known as MWAU! ^w^  
> Chapter One- At the Beginning by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis

 

_We were strangers,_

_Starting out on a journey_

_Never dreaming,_

_What we’d have to go through_

It was another bright and yet pleasantly cool morning when Yugi arose from his sleep. He propped himself up on his elbows as he groggily wiped away the remnants of sleep from his eyes. An early morning breeze playfully tussled his hair and brushed against his skin, causing him to shiver at the goose bumps now forming there. Resisting the urge to curl back up into a warm cocoon of skin and cloth, Yugi pushed himself up from the ground and stood, the cloak he used as a blanket pulled haphazardly around his form. He figured that he had better get dressed to avoid any unwanted illness creeping up on him, so he moved toward where he had left his bag to rest the previous night.

The camp he had set up consisted of his sleeping mat arranged under a tree, and a tiny fire lined with stones, to prevent flickering embers catching on the nearby grass. The flame has long since burned out during the night, and all that was left was a collection of charred sticks of wood. His knapsack that carried all his worldly goods was wrapped in his leather belts, tied to the underside of a branch on a nearby tree. All in all Yugi thought it was a very nice set up, and wasn’t on something as obvious as a clearing or field, where any old bandit could rob you out in the open. Yugi could never understand how people thought it was a good idea to camp out in the open so much. If he was travelling in a big enough group, then he might understand, but when he was travelling solo, he tried to stick to the dense forests as much as possible. But then, not many people could understand why Yugi did that when he had told them.

 _Maybe it’s a tamer thing_ , Yugi thought. Every tamer knew that open fields attracted monsters, and unless Yugi was purposely searching for one, he tended to like not attracting unwanted attention. Most beasts could smell a tamer, and most seemed to be not partially fond of them. Yugi had once had a run in with a wild boar that, when it had taken the slightest whiff of Yugi, had gone into a raging stampede, crashing into anything and everything in its sight. After that meeting, Yugi had made sure to keep his beastly encounters to run on his schedule, only approaching those he needed to. Of course the scent thing could work both ways. Yugi could quite often distinguish the scents of different beast types, and could usually tell what species of beast it was too. A skill that he did not share with many other beast tamers, he had begun to realise during his years of travel. It seemed that the tamers that were capable of such abilities were the ones who more often than not had spent most of their lives travelling alone more than spending time with other people, a trait that Yugi definitely shared with them.

Yugi liked to consider himself a people person- after all, most people he talked to told him he was a pleasure to be around. His comments were always positive, and his nature was friendly and kind; his whole person seemed to radiate a kindness most people had never seen before. But as much as Yugi could hold a conversation, he found that most people treated him as if he was less than him, and, much to Yugi’s constant displeasure, as a child. Sure, they would invest time into talking with him, but to them Yugi was just a little kid, no more than a distraction from some mundane thing in their lives. And when Yugi needed help or something from them, it was one convenient excuse after another, ‘sorry kiddo,’ or ‘Why don’t you ask your parents sweetie?’ And so Yugi often sought out the company of a quite wood, or the peaceful serenity of a mountain’s stream. To him, even though he liked talking to people, he found it the most helpful when he was out adventuring and travelling around. He had soon realised, when he began his adventuring so many years ago, that he could never settle down to live his life in a settlement, like so many others did. He would most likely lose his mind over the mundane little things people had to do, and he would have to change his job to something that would support him in a village or city. A baker, or tailor, something boring like that.  

Shaking his head, Yugi chuckled lightly over his musings. He would much rather be out here, in the cool morning breeze of a forest than slaving over a hot oven to make produce. Returning to his original task, Yugi pulled his bag down, taking care not to worry the leather against the tree branch too much. The idea of one of his leather belts snapping wasn’t a pleasant thought. Leather, while not as expensive as steel or iron armour, was still quite costly to the tamer. The occasional jobs he did to earn some coins were few and far between, and meant he had to work on a tight budget. While things such food and materials were easy to gather during his travels, it was man made things that he needed money for, as he paid trips into the villages along his routes to get them. Sometimes he would get lucky, and someone in the village would need someone to deliver an item, or a beast was lurking too closer to the village for comfort. On these occasions, Yugi would be able to offer his assistance, and in exchange have enough money to buy what he needed before he could leave into the wilderness once again.

After enough careful jiggling, the sack came down, landing with a _thud_ in Yugi’s outstretched arm. He checked quickly for any signs of tampering, or anything missing, but Yugi wasn’t too worried; he knew it wasn’t common for people to come out this way, and he hadn’t run into anyone for a few days now, and besides, no one who was smart would be here now of all times, not with a dragon running loose close by.

When Yugi had first heard about there been a dragon nearby, he was ecstatic. He hadn’t run into many dragons during his travels; the beasts were supposed to be quite rare in this part of Asren. And those he had run into, he had barely gotten close enough to talk to. Dragons had amazing senses, and they were very good, it seemed, at sensing humans- and, by extension, beast tamers- and most of the time they were not pleased to see them. Yugi had only ever spoken to one dragon for an extended period, and it was a conversation about why Yugi thought he wasn’t a very tasty human, and deserved to see the sun rise the next morning. But Yugi had a mission this time; he wanted to become friends with this dragon. And it wasn’t just because he had promised the nearby village that he would get rid of the ‘dragon menace.’ Yugi actually generally wanted to become friends with the beast, as he had tried many times before with others. But it seemed there was an unspoken law that meant beasts and tamers could never be more than master and, well, beast. In all Yugi’s years of travel, he had always tried to make friends with the beasts he tried to tame, and more often than not he would release them of their duty to him as he felt it was more forced than willing. He was still searching for a partner that would treat him as a friend, and not a master. The fact that he was going after a dragon was worrying, however. He wasn’t sure if he had the strength needed to tame a dragon, let alone have a conversation with it. But he couldn’t let his self-doubt get in the way of his promise towards the village. If he had to, Yugi was prepared to find a way to get rid of the beast, even if it meant, Yugi thought sadly, killing it, although he severely hoped it didn’t come to that. If it did come to violence though, Yugi was very glad he had his friend Ryou coming to back him up on this quest.

 _And on top of that,_ Yugi thought, a smile creeping up his face as he began to rummage through his knapsack, finally finding his set of clothes, _today is the day Ryou should be meeting back up with me._ It had been a few weeks since Yugi had last seen his friend. The two of them were often travelling companions together, and would go out on quests to help one another. Such as now, when two weeks ago Ryou had suggested he accompany Yugi on his quest to hunt down the rogue dragon. Yugi was thankful for his friend’s offer, especially since Ryou was a white mage, meaning if either of them got into serious trouble Ryou would be able to bail them out with his magic.

Clutching his clothes, Yugi quickly changed into them, sliding on his linen tunic and pants before putting on the leather adornments over the top. He suddenly felt a lot warmer having his limbs covered in warmer material than just the cotton shirt and cloak wrapped around him he had been wearing to sleep, and still had been until just then. Yugi grabbed said cloak that had been discarded off to the side while he changed, and shook the dirt and grass that clung to it off, wrapped the piece of material over his shoulders in a cape-like fashion. Lastly, he took the belts that had been used to support his bag and buckled them over his forearms and gloves, saving one final leather belt, his most expensive by far, to go around his neck in the fashion of a collar. He liked to have the feel of it pressed gently on his neck, in a way it was relaxing, having the familiar weight constantly there.

Yugi didn’t spend too long dwelling on his thoughts, lest he run the risk of being pulled back into memories from other, more unpleasant times. Right now, he knew he had to make it to the meet up point, so he could find Ryou and continue on to confront the dragon.  Gathering up his belongings and making sure he had everything, he shouldered his knapsack and began trekking through the forest, taking note of the different kinds of trees and animals that lived here. He saw a few small gash marks around the trunks of some trees, and figured them to be from deer. _At least I won’t go hungry tonight_ , Yugi thought. He passed several berry bushes, and picked some from the plants he knew not to be poisonous. He had found some raspberries, which he was happy about, as they could be eaten by themselves if he failed to catch anything else for food. Although with Ryou coming along Yugi was bound to eat well; he was an amazing cook. Yugi had often asked Ryou why he didn’t choose to follow the job role of a chef, to which the boy had replied that he simply didn’t like the lifestyle. He was, much like Yugi, an adventurer at heart, and enjoyed travelling more than being stuck in a town.

The sun was well untruly burning down from the sky by the time Yugi had made it to the landmark that would serve as his and Ryou’s meet up point. It was a clearing at the base of a small mountain that stood larger due to its location in the middle of a sea of trees. Yugi peered up into the sky, scanning for any sign of the dragon. He didn’t like the idea of been out in the open field, but it seemed that the dragon was currently not hanging around, or it was asleep atop the peak.  This was certainly the mountain that the villages had told him the dragon had made its home, so it was only a matter of time until Yugi saw the beast, or at least evidence of its existence here.

Now that he had arrived, Yugi had nothing better to do than sit around and wait for Ryou to get here. Since it was noon, he figured the mage would be here soon; Ryou was never one to be late. He might as well sit down and plan out the best way to tackle their dragon problem.

Yugi knew that he wanted to try his best to tame the beast, so that was their first course of action, but if he failed to convince the dragon to be friends… Yugi knew it would be tough, but he would have to find a way to slay it if no alternative could be reached. Ryou would agree, he convinced himself, feeling his face twitch into a frown. It did little to settle his nerves, however, as he could feel his hands start to clam up and fidget. He shook his head, wishing the thoughts away; now was not the time to get distracted, he had a job to do.

With no sign of the dragon, Yugi tentatively left the shelter of the tree line and headed out into the open plain. He sat down on the grass, wincing when the leftover morning dew soaked through his pants and cloak. He would wait here until Ryou showed up, or, if he was unlucky, the dragon.

                                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was another hour or so of Yugi twiddling his thumbs and playing with grass blades before Ryou showed up. Yugi saw the white mage coming from his field vantage point, and he stood and waved in welcoming to the other. Ryou gave a hesitant wave back, and Yugi waited until he had made it within speaking range to, well, speak.

“Ryou, hey! Glad you could make it!” He said, clasping their hands together in a friendly handshake. The boy gave him a shy smile, his eyes warm and friendly.

“Yeah, sorry I’m late Yugi; I got a little lost in the forest back there.” Ryou said, a nervous laughter escaping his lips. Yugi shook he head, looking at his friend hopelessly. “When are you not getting lost in forests, Ryou? I swear for someone who travels a lot you sure are hopeless with navigation.” He chuckled lightly, and Ryou joined in.

“It’s not like I mean too, it’s just not all of us are born naturally good orienteers.” He scoffed, reaching out to ruffle Yugi’s hair, much to the other’s annoyance. It was a gesture Ryou always gave the other; it had fast become a friendly endearment to the two, and as annoyed as Yugi got by it, he was also grateful the two had this connection. He was just irritated by the fact that he was so genetically short, so even the most average sized person towered over him. Being short was not in the least bit fun, especially when it helped to contribute to the reason people never took him seriously.

Yugi batted his friend’s hand away, saying, “Well it’s a good thing I’m here then, one of those freaks of nature that just so happens to be a natural born navigator.”

Ryou gave him a mocking bow, gracefully sliding his hands forward to cup around Yugi’s, a gesture commonly seen in royal courts. “But of course, my prince. Your arrival has been foretold by the mages of old themselves!” The two managed a solid five seconds of maintaining eye contact before they burst out laughing, Yugi collapsing onto the grass with Ryou following not long after.

“R-Ryou,” Yugi wheezed in between fits of laughter. “Oh man, it’s really good… to see you again… I’m glad you… came on this… quest.” Ryou was equally gasping for breath, but he nodded, his eyes shining with good humour.

“Of course Yugi! I wouldn’t just sit by and let my best friend run off to fight some dragon by himself!” Ryou looked around, coming back to face Yugi with a raised eyebrow. “So, speaking of dragons, I don’t seemed to see any.”

“I haven’t seen it either,” Yugi waved his hand dismissively. “But I’m sure it’s around here somewhere. If I had to take a guess, I’d say on this mountain.”

Yugi pointed to the mountain that was looming rather ominously over the field they were in, and Ryou turned around to inspect it.

“Ah, yes, that would make sense.” He said with a sheepish grin, scratching his cheek. Yugi nodded, adding, “We could search the surround forest first for a good way to get up there. I also want to be able to pinpoint where the dragon is currently, I don’t like the idea of it sneaking up on us while we’re on a cliff side or something.”

Yugi dropped his knapsack and began to rummage through it, stopping when he found the rough papers he was looking for. Grasping the scroll, Yugi pulled it open, Ryou wandering closer to see what was on it. Yugi began to point to various spots around their current location on the map, listing off several possibilities depending on the environment, to which Ryou agreed to the most plausible. When the two were properly prepared, they both split up in different directions, each searching the surrounding area for signs of commonly used spots for the dragon. Yugi took the west section, which he suspected might have some burnt forestation, while Ryou left to head east around the mountain.

 

                

Along the western route Yugi spotted several signs that pointed to a dragon dwelling nearby. There were a few trees with large gash marks embedded into the trunks, while others had whole heads burnt off, the outer leaf canopies having crisp, black leaves hanging off them. They were so fragile that the tiniest touch from Yugi’s hand made them dissolve into nothing. Even the shrubbery hadn’t escaped without injury, some of the bushes had been flattered mercilessly into the ground, roots and dirt scattered everywhere. Yugi frowned, wishing that the dragon hadn’t taken it’s emotions out on the landscape, he didn’t like seeing the proud nature reduced to such a state without so much as an explanation. Then again, he also didn’t like seeing a beast as revered as a dragon act so… aggressive. Yugi knew that it was normal for dragons to be aggressive when their territory or possessions were being breeched or in danger, but so far Yugi had yet to see evidence that this dragon had either, although it was possible that the dragon was caring for young, and that it had moved out here to this remote area to raise them.

If that was so, then Yugi was even more upset at having to chase it away. He certainly didn’t want to kill it if it was a mother dragon, and no amount of money or coaxing the villagers could give him would change his resolve if came to that. Yugi just hoped that his sudden thought was wrong, and that he was just going to face an aggressive dragon that had committed some crime that made it easier for Yugi to deal with ending it, if it came to that. Sighing, Yugi continued his trek around the base of the mountain. He passed a few more burnt tree tops and shrubs, but other than that the ground forest seemed rather peaceful, not that Yugi was surprised. Any animal with even half of a brain would have cleared out at the first sight of a dragon in the vicinity. It did mean that Yugi wouldn’t be able to hunt any game while in the area. He would have to hope that what he had stashed away, and possibly any Ryou had would last them until the dragon was dealt with.

Having felt that he had seen enough, Yugi returned to the clearing he had met Ryou in and waited for the white haired mage who had yet to come back. While he waited Yugi poured over the maps he had, marking places of interest and forming a plan in his head to tackle the issue. Soon enough Ryou had reappeared, walking over to join Yugi.

“Any luck?” The boy said as he sat down next to Yugi. Yugi shook his head, sighing as he said, “Not really, some burnt trees and evidence that there _is_ a dragon here, but not much to say _about_ the dragon. What about you?”

“Just about the same as you, scorched tree tops, but only close to the mountain,” Ryou shook his head. “I’m starving, you reckon we can take a quick food break?” Yugi looked at his friend’s pleading eyes and smiled. It _had_ been two hours since they had met up, the sun reminded him from its current position sliding down from the sky.

“Alright Ryou, actually food sounds good right about now. The only problem is there’s no game around for miles.” Yugi said, pushing the maps aside in favour of rummaging through his bag.

“True, true, I noticed that on the east side too, actually. Not that surprising when you’ve got a dragon roaming about, though,” Ryou smirked as Yugi pulled out a handful of the berries he had collected earlier in the day. “But it seems my forest dwelling companion has been thinking ahead! He graces us with much needed sustenance!”

Yugi glared at Ryou, but he could tell the white-haired boy knew he wasn’t being serious about it. Yugi dished out the fruit and the two ate while catching up on life updates they had missed from each other, exchanging news and interesting things that had been happening in the kingdom.

“A new pilgrimage?” Yugi asked, his curiosity piked when Ryou mentioned it in passing during their conversation.

“Yeah, it’s not really new so much as one I’ve been on for a while now, but I’ve never really found what it is I’m supposed to do. I guess you could say it’s like a quest that never ends,” Ryou laughed, brushing off Yugi’s interested expression with a wave. “It’s not very important, the old wizards and guilds like to give us younger wizards and mages stupidly bizarre quests all the time. Usually it’s to do with pranks or favours the wizards try to pick. I must have annoyed one of the higher ranking ones because mine is especially impossible.”

“You, piss someone off? I find that hard to believe Ryou, you’re too nice to be considered a nuisance,” Yugi scoffed, rolling his eyes. Ryou smiled as well, appreciating Yugi’s light toned humour. “…So what is it?”

Ryou blinked, raising an eyebrow at Yugi. “Sorry?”

“The pilgrimage. What is it? What is this seemingly impossible task you have to accomplice?”

“It’s really nothing important,” Ryou shifted uncomfortably.

“You don’t think I really believe that, do you, Ryou?” Yugi looked quizzically at his white haired friend. Ryou laughed, saying, “No, I figured you wouldn’t know when to stop poking into other people’s business.” The boy moved to poke Yugi in his ribs, and Yugi squeaked in shock, toppling over onto the maps he had set aside.

“Ryouuuuuu.” Yugi wheezed, scrambling off the maps to push his friend in mock anger. Ryou replied with another assault on Yugi’s weak spot, causing Yugi to break out into a giggling laughter.

“Stop! Ryou, I’m ticklish!” Yugi said around his giggling fits, trying to pry Ryou away from him. Eventually Ryou let up, and Yugi was able to regain his regular breathing pattern.

“You still didn’t answer me, Ryou.” Yugi said, frowning slightly. Was Ryou embarrassed by his assignment?

“It really isn’t that important, nor relevant, Yugi.” Ryou said with a sideways glance, gaging Yugi’s reaction.

“So it shouldn’t be a problem to tell me, your friend, right?” Yugi chirped in. Ryou sighed, looking defeated, and Yugi knew he had worn the boy out, regardless of the comical battle that had just raged.

“Don’t get disappointed; I told you was nothing, and don’t laugh either,” Ryou warned, squinting at Yugi. Yugi beamed back at him, feeling bubbly in his excited and anticipation. “I have to find some obscure old wizard’s out of print book from, like twenty years ago.” Yugi looked at Ryou in disbelief. _This_ was his big secret? Yugi had to endure a tickle attack for this?

“I told you it wasn’t anything.” Ryou said with a huff when he saw Yugi’s face.

“Hey, I don’t think it’s that bad! I mean, it could be worse, what’s so bad about having to find some dusty old book? At least you don’t have to go fight a dragon or something.” Yugi said with a wink, and Ryou rolled his eyes.

“Except I do.” The boy squinted his eyes again. Yugi held his hands up in mock innocence.

“Why Ryou, whatever are you talking about? I don’t see any dragons to fight, what makes you think you have to fight one?” Yugi snickered.

Ryou opened his mouth and was about to reply when an overhead screeching sound made both the boys jump and look skyward. There, in the sky, circling around the mountain that was so close to the boys’ current position, was the dragon.

Yugi, from years of hunting beasts, instinctively dropped to the ground, trying his best to blend in with the grass despite his outfit’s obviously different in colour scheme. He looked over at Ryou to see the boy mimic his actions.

From what he could see from the ground, the dragon appeared to be jet black, its wings and body shimmering slightly in the sun’s reflective rays. Its scales seemed dull from what Yugi could see, but his vantage point on the ground didn’t give him much to grasp at. After a few moments that seemed to stretch by too long for Yugi, the dragon stopped circling and disappeared into the peak of the mountain. _There must be an outcrop or cave at the peak,_ Yugi thought absently as he breathed out in relief. Not wanting to wait to see if the dragon had seen them at all, Yugi grabbed his scattered scrolls and maps and stuffed them back into his back, motioning for Ryou to follow him as he dashed to the safety of the tree line.

“Now that,” Ryou huffed. “Was scary. Do you think it saw us?” The boy looked worried to Yugi, even though the more Yugi thought about it the more he was almost sure the beast hadn’t seen them. But then again, he had experience with these things, while Ryou’s specialty came from magic and spells.  

“I don’t think so Ryou. I think we’re safe, for now.” Yugi replied, poking his head out from the tree’s canopies to observe the sky. The dragon was still in the cave on the mountain, or whatever it was that was up there; it hadn’t moved or being alerted to anything happening on the ground. It probably didn’t even care anyway, but Yugi wanted to take precautions anyway, images of the burnt tree tops flashing in his mind. Yugi turned back to see Ryou watching him, his head turned slightly.

“So what now?” The mage said, crossing his arms. Yugi looked thoughtful for a moment before he replied. “I’m not sure. I guess we should climb up the mountain when the dragon leaves to scope out whatever is at that peak. We could find something worth knowing about up there… Maybe even your old wizard book.” Yugi added when he saw Ryou’s brief look of horror pass over his face.

“You expect me to climb a mountain to fight a dragon? Wouldn’t it be safer to try and lead it down here?” Ryou gapped at him, oblivious to Yugi’s attempt to lighten the situation.

“Well, maybe, I guess.” Yugi thought it over. It would be safer to fight down here, where they could hide easily in the trees. There was a small risk of fire damage if the dragon breathed it, but Yugi was having a hard time judging what kind of dragon it was, the colouring seemed wrong to him, slightly off. Maybe it was just the distance that had made Yugi’s eyes play tricks on him, or maybe it was a whole new species of dragon Yugi wasn’t familiar with. He didn’t like the idea of being trapped on a mountain peak with it, but Yugi wasn’t so sure the beast would fly down from its vantage point, no matter what form of noise or distraction the boys made. Some tamer instinct somewhere in the back of his mind was telling him that if he wanted this beast, he would have to come to it.

“Actually -as crazy as it sounds- I think we need to go to it. I don’t think it’s going to be coming down here anytime soon. It might have a while ago, but now that all the game has been chased off it doesn’t have a reason to,” Yugi paused to look at his friend’s reaction. He looked like he wanted to object, but Yugi interrupted any attempt he was going to make. “We need to go up there, Ryou. I know you don’t like it, but we have to do this. Besides, we knew it wouldn’t be easy when we said we’d fight off a dragon.”

Ryou grumbled something incoherently and threw his hands up. “Let me guess, you’ve got some strange sixth sense tamer thing happening. Alright, alright, I’ll do it, but if I die, I swear I will come back and haunt you.” Ryou glared at Yugi who shrugged it off with a grin. He could just imagine what his white haired friend would look like as a pale ghost. Yugi wouldn’t be surprised if he accidentally mistook him for a cream puff floating in the breeze.

“Alright Ryou, let’s wait until the dragon leaves again, then we’ll start climbing.”

The two boys moved through the trees as cover as they approached the base of the mountain. Ryou took the time to pull out his mage staff from his bag, clutching it close at the ready, while Yugi just shifted into a spot with a good view of the mountain. They waited here until Yugi saw the dragon shoot out of the mountain top. With a screech, it unfurled its wings and took off in the opposite direction of the boys.

“That’s our queue.” Yugi said to Ryou, who looked between the mountain and Yugi and gave an exaggerated sigh.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He snorted. Yugi just gave him a quick smile before leaving the tree’s cover to begin their climb.

 The first part of the mountain was not very steep, and they made decent progress up until the grass grew less and was slowly replaced by chunky rocks and stone. It was lucky for them that it was more of a large hill than it was a mountain. Even the rocky sections were easy for Yugi to navigate, although he had to help Ryou with his footing sometimes. They travelled upwards on the side for most of the climb, as the cliff line made for an easy spiralling path that lead directly to the top. Yugi was glad that it wasn’t very steep nor large for a mountain, as he didn’t bring any climbing equipment, and the idea of having to goat climb up a mountain with Ryou sounded terrifying.

“Yugi, woah wait, is that it?” Ryou touched Yugi’s shoulder lightly to get his attention, careful not to cause him to lose balance. Yugi looked forward and saw that their path opened up into what appeared to be a large outcrop of rock that jutted out of the mountain. The surface was mainly flat and empty, save a pile of bones that was stacked on the side furthest to the boys. Yugi was glad to see there wasn’t a nest of younglings here. At least he knew they weren’t going to be hurting a mother dragon. _Or getting incinerated for invading their nest_ , Yugi thought. There was a sort of natural rock shelter above as well, in fact it looked as if a great beast had taken a lazy swipe with one claw on the mountain, and this shielded plateau had formed from it.

Yugi glanced out across the sky, searching for any sign that the dragon was returning. It was too late to climb back down now anyway, they would have to find a way to confront the dragon up here, in its lair. Luckily, Yugi didn’t see any dark wings. Yugi just hoped it wouldn’t be enraged by intruders in its den. He moved forward onto the outcrop, noting the sudden rise in temperature. Even though the rock above sheltered them from the sun’s rays, the ground here seemed heated and uncomfortably warm. Ryou seemed to mirror his thoughts.

“Woah, who turned on the heater, it’s the middle of spring, geez!” Ryou tugged uncomfortably at his long mages robes. Both of them were covered head to toe in garments, and the heat was causing them to sweat more than they already were from the climb.

“It must be from the constant presence of the dragon.” Yugi reasoned. A dragon usually gave off a decent amount of heat, and he suspected that if one stayed in a place like this for a large amount of time the stones would be constantly warm.

A loud roar broke the two from their thoughts and Yugi and Ryou looked toward the cliff edge just in time to see large black wings come into view, followed by a head with two searing red eyes glowing on it. The dragon gave another roar as it landed on the outcrop, causing the whole slab of rock to shake on impact.

 “I better get paid extra for this.” Yugi mumbled, raising his gloved hands up as he prepared to fight.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter One: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! That's chapter one all wrapped up! So what do you guys think? Also does the art look alright in the story, or would you perhaps prefer no art in it? Of course that was only the first chapter, and was more setting up the character's and their background more than anything really happening, but still, I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading, I appreciate it! uvu


	2. Better Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are with Chapter Two! I distinctly remember this chapter as being the most annoying to write, although I can't remember why, ahaha. Anywho, enjoy!  
> Chapter Two Title- Better Days by Pete Murray

 

_I noticed the smallest things_

_But I didn’t notice the change_

_It was hot in the morning_

_Then it turned so cold, twas the end of the day_

 

Yugi froze when the dragon came over the side of the cliff, his legs refusing to move. When it roared again, now no less than twenty metres away from him, his body decided to finally respond and Yugi ran away, noting the jaws that clamped shut where he had just been standing. He ran to the other side of the plateau, away from the dragon and where Ryou was standing. He looked over at Yugi helpless, shouting, “What’s the plan!?!”

Yugi opened his mouth to answer before he realised he didn’t really have one. Ryou was waiting for his answer, and none too patiently either, with the dragon mere metres away from him. It suddenly turned its attention to Ryou, seeming to notice the other boy for the first time.

“YUGI!!” Ryou glared at him, swiping his staff in front of him to create a shield when the dragon moved to swipe at Ryou. It seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the pure white area of energy, and it hissed, trying to swipe again to break through. When the dragon’s claws scrapped against the shield the dragon roared in pain, but there was another hissing sound, one that seemed to come from the space were the two forces collided. Yugi looked at Ryou to see the mage was frowning suspiciously at the sound, the dragon’s cry of pain temporarily forgotten. As if to argue at the lack of attention it was receiving, the dragon roared loudly, closing its mouth again soon after. Smoke began to rise from its nostrils and Yugi and Ryou barely had enough time to jump out of the way before a jet of fire shot past them, melting part of the rock where the fire had hit the hottest.

Now that the dragon was in full view, Yugi was able to get a better look at it. The beast towered above the both of them, its head slightly bent down to avoid scrapping against the cave’s roof. The whole thing was covered in pitch black scales that seemed to shimmer unnaturally in shades of red and orange, the only other colour coming from its piercing crimson eyes. Yugi turned back to face the dragon head on, trying to come up with a strategy to weaken it enough for his tamer magic to work on it. It was too aggressive and angry right now for his magic to be able to work properly, and he didn’t want to exhaust himself too much on trying. It seemed he would have to try and wear it out, or at least until it could no longer fuel its fire.

“Ryou! We have to wear it out! Try to avoid most of its attacks, and strike back where you can!” Yugi shouted, hoping his friend would hear him from the other side of the dragon.

“How the bloody hell do you propose we do that?!?” Ryou shouted back, and Yugi furrowed his brow in frustration. He didn’t actually know, he was hoping the mage would have some useful power that could help their current dilemma. He didn’t have long to contemplate it as the dragon swung its head around to lock eyes with Yugi’s. He saw a seething rage in those fiery crimson orbs, but there was something else that flickered there, on the outsides, small enough that it would be missed if Yugi hadn’t locked eyes with it. It was… pain? Suffering? But it wasn’t the kind inflicted by a wound, it was a deep pain that meant the creature was struggling with something inside. But what?

 _Why are you in pain?_ Yugi projected his thoughts out to the dragon, in the way he had always used to speak to dragons in the past, hoping the beast would hear him. The dragon seemed to stop for a moment, the briefest of pauses revealing an internal struggle, before it screwed its face up in a roar directed towards Yugi.

“Yugi, watch out!” Ryou’s warning came almost too late as Yugi snapped his focus back to the fight and lunged out of the way, rolling on impact with the ground and landing in a crouch as he stopped to inspect the dragon. It growled low at him, its eyes measuring his worth, looking for any weakness to exploit. Yugi stared back at it, finally starting to get an idea of how to combat the great wyrm. It was confused by Yugi’s actions, and was fighting something inside of it. If Yugi could find out what it was struggling against, he would be able to use his taming powers against the source.

 _I mean you no harm_. Yugi put his hands up to show he didn’t want to fight. The dragon regarded him with cold eyes for a moment, hissing softly before turning to face Ryou, who had been hanging back from the dragon’s sight. He immediately stiffened and pulled the white magic shield up in front of him. The dragon shot a stream of flame at him, but it deflected off the shield harmlessly with a hiss. When the dragon realised the fire wasn’t doing any damage, I stopped its assault and roared in frustration.

“Yugi! I think I know what’s wrong here!” Ryou shouted, waving to get Yugi’s attention. He motioned for Yugi to join him, and Yugi stared at him in confusion. Wouldn’t it be easier for the dragon to attack if they clumped together? Yugi shook his head, moving over to join his friend as the dragon focused its attention on the two easy targets in front of it. He just hoped Ryou knew what he was doing.

“You got a plan?” Yugi asked, eyeing the dragon wearily.

“Better than yours,” Ryou nodded, pointing at the beast now staring them down. “That thing is covered in dark magic! If I can break the spell, we can weaken it enough for you to tame it!”

Yugi looked up at the beast, thinking over what Ryou said. Dark magic would explain why it was in so much pain, and why it seemed to be struggling with itself. Most dragons were against the use of magic the human and elf races used, they preferred to work with their own elemental magic, and often they could become berserk from contact with other kinds. Especially when it came to dark magic, the most unpredictable and violent kind. In fact, dark magic was universally known to be taboo amongst magical beings, and Yugi was sure that Ryou was extremely troubled by this detail. If someone was using dark magic to taint dragons, than there was something very wrong happening in Asren. There was more to this simple quest than they first thought.

“Alright Ryou! Just tell me what to do!” Yugi said, nodding. Ryou returned the gesture, motioning for Yugi to move to the other side of the outcrop. Yugi lunged forward, hearing the dragon growl behind him. He turned back to face it and was just in time to see it screech fire at him, the stream of flame following his movement as he ran around the rock in an attempt to avoid being burnt. Yugi glanced past the bright flame to see Ryou freaking out behind another magic shield, and Yugi enviously wished for once he possessed decent enough magic to create useful things like that instead of just being able to make friends with animals.

With the dragon’s attention now focused on him, Yugi had to use all of his energy just to avoid a sudden untimely death. He noticed Ryou getting behind the beast, his staff raised up. It seemed he was finally taking the offensive in his plan. _About time, I’m getting singed over here!_ Yugi thought as he jumped to avoid another burst of flame. The edges of his cape were beginning to show the signs of fire damage, and several small holes were appearing at the ends. _Damn it this is my best cape,_ Yugi lamented. The dragon roared in annoyance at being denied its kill yet again, and Yugi began to sense a sort of desperation coming from the beast. It must be finally wearing down its energy resources, which was just as well, since Yugi could feel the pull of exhaustion wearing his muscles down. It didn’t help that he was wearing his full leather armour.

Yugi risked a glance over at Ryou, checking to see what the mage was up to. He was still standing there, staff pointed at the dragon, but now the staff was glowing with a pulsing energy that was growing in diameter the longer Ryou held it. He seemed to be channelling his magic into the orb of energy. Yugi wasn’t sure what he was going to do with it, but it would probably help weaken the dragon somehow. He didn’t want to think about what would happen when the dark and light magic’s collided.

“Yugi, quick, move out of the way!” Ryou shouted. Yugi didn’t need to be told twice, diving to the far back wall in a mess of leather and cape. He smashed into the bone pile, and a great deal of the shattered objects crashed on top of him. Swatting them away, Yugi looked up just in time to see the beam of energy shoot out of Ryou’s staff, hitting the dragon square in the chest. The beast roared in anger, swinging its head back and forth as it cried out in pain.

As it thrashed around, Yugi moved to stand by Ryou’s side. “What did you do to it?” He frowned. Whatever was happening didn’t sound good for the dragon.

“I hit it with concentrated white magic. It’s fighting the dark magic’s hold on the dragon. You better do your tamer thing now, while it’s distracted.” Ryou tilted his head, nodding towards the screeching dragon.

“Right, ok, wish me luck.” Yugi said, racing towards the beast. He swerved to the right to avoid the dragon’s swinging head. The beast was too busy with the conflicting magical energies to notice Yugi. He leaped onto the beast’s front leg, grabbing a part of the wing’s blade to pull himself up to sit crouching on the dragon’s back. Once in position, Yugi raised his hands forward, directed at the raging head.

 _Let’s just hope this works_ , he thought, trying hard not to imagine what would happen if it didn’t. He began to tap into his taming magic, feeling the sealing barrier dissolve and the energy beginning to flow through his body. With his fingers twitching with the power, Yugi took his chance and sprung off the dragon’s back, reaching forward to grab the beast’s head with his hands.

_Let me tame you! I want to be your friend!!_ Yugi shouted into his power with all his might, hoping his words would reach the dragon. A blinding light erupted from Yugi’s hands and engulfed the both of them.

For a while, Yugi could hear nothing except for the gentle swirling current of magic streaming out of his hands. Everything was bright white, and it hurt to keep his eyes open, so he let them close. The dragon was nowhere to be seen, although Yugi kept his hands clenched around the space in front of him, knowing that the beast was still there regardless of what his eyesight told him. This was what happened during the taming process. When Yugi initiated his magical taming powers, they were covered in a blanket of energy. When that disappeared, the process would be over, and Yugi would know if he had succeeded, or if the dark magic had been too powerful, even with the help of Ryou’s white counterpart.

Another sound began to echo across the space, and Yugi tilted his head at it, confused. There wasn’t supposed to be any other sound except for the magic running its course. Yugi frowned, squinting his eyes open to find the source of the disturbance. Everything was still painfully bright, but something in the corner of his eye caught Yugi’s attention. It was something that he had never seen during his previous taming sessions; a smudge of black on the horizon of white. It didn’t seem like much, but Yugi could feel a prick of worry forcing its way into his mind, and his gut feeling was telling him that something was terribly wrong with that dark presence. Wait, a presence? Yugi felt his frown deepen as his brow furrowed in confusion. Yes, he could feel it now, there _was_ another presence here. But how? Yugi’s magic had transported only those he had made contact with, and Yugi was pretty sure the only other being that had been on that rock outcrop had been Ryou…

A sudden vibration in the air made Yugi focus his attention on hearing. It sounded like… a voice. _This other presence must be trying to communicating something, but what? I can barely hear it, let alone understand anything._ Yugi strained his hearing to try to piece together the incoherent mumbling coming from the dark manifestation, but nothing it was trying to say seemed to make sense to Yugi.

He was about to shout back at the presence when the light grew even brighter and Yugi was forced to close his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back on the mountain top with the dragon. He blinked, still trying to process what he saw during the taming experience. He was dimly aware of Ryou shouting at him and waving his arms around, but Yugi couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything right now. He was wobbling on something, and he must have leaned too far over one side as he suddenly found himself losing his grip and falling downward. Before he reached the ground something grabbed him, and he found himself looking up into two bright shining emeralds.

“Wha…” Yugi tried to say something, but his tongue felt heavy, and his words slurred. He was tired, and he didn’t know why.

“…ugi… Yugi! Hey, Yugi!” A voice was shouting out somewhere behind him, but Yugi found he didn’t have the energy to lift his head around to find out what it was. Why did he feel so tired? What had he just been doing?

 _Young Master, you are tired for you have expended all of your energy fending off the dark magic that once held me prisoner. And for that, I thank you._ A deep rumbling voice echoed in Yugi’s mind, and he blinked several times, confused as to where the voice was coming from. It sounded somewhat male. He was answered with a deep chuckle.

_I am right here, young one. Right above you._

Yugi looked up, but all he could see was the shinning emeralds surrounded by a hazy sea of deep red.

_Allow me to share some of my remaining energy with you. I believe you need it more than I right now._

Suddenly Yugi could feel energy flowing through his body, and his tiredness began to fade away as his senses heightened back to their original adeptness. With his mind now clear, Yugi could focus his attention upwards. He was surprised to find that the emeralds were actually the eyes of the dragon, and he flinched slightly at how close they were. He then realised that his limbs were currently dangling, and his cape was suspending him off the ground with a large clawed hand holding it. Yugi immediately began to wiggle around to try and break free of the grip, and he found himself being placed onto the stone surface.

“Yugi! Yugi! What’s going on?!” Yugi looked over to see Ryou running towards him.

“Uh, hey, Ryou.” Yugi frowned at how dry his mouth felt. He could really go for some water right about now.

“Don’t you ‘hey Ryou’ me, mister. What the bloody hell happened back there! You both disappeared in a flash of white light!” Ryou waved his hands around before he lowered his voice, jerking his head in the direction of the dragon currently standing over them.

“And more importantly, did the taming work? I’m not sensing any dark magic anymore, and the dragon’s colours have completely changed.” He whispered, and Yugi nodded, looking over at the dragon.

“Yeah, I think it did,” he stood, adjusting his cape back to its original position, ignoring the singe marks down the bottom. He turned to look at the dragon, finally having the chance to examine it properly up close.

It was actually a fairly small dragon, compared to the handful of others he had seen before. Its- _his_ , Yugi corrected himself, for the dragon sounded distinctly male- body was covered in deep burgundy coloured scales that shone slightly in patches when the dragon moved. His limbs were all lean, the muscles visible on them, and Yugi suspected that this dragon was actually quite young, if what he knew of their kind was enough to go by. The wing frames were the same deep rusted colour, while the membrane sections that spread in between the width of each finger along the wing were more of a faded yellow, almost gold in colour. Yugi suspected that in the right light, they would shine a kind of metallic gold. Along the dragon’s back were two rows of spikes lined all the way down to the tail tip, while the head held several protruding from the sides of its cheekbones. Above the sparkling emerald eyes were two great horns that shot out from the dragon’s head. Those eyes were trained on Yugi, watching him.

“Uhh… Hello?” He said awkwardly.

 _Hello young Master._ A voice echoed inside Yugi’s head, and his eyes lit up in realisation.

“Oh, you were the one talking in my head before!” Yugi brought his hand to his face, shaking his head at his ignorance. “Must seem like a pretty obvious thing, huh?” The dragon’s eyes shone in amusement, and Yugi gave it a mock scowl.

“So, uh, we good? Because I’m really tired, and the walk back to the town is going to take a while. I don’t really want to camp out tonight.” Ryou raised an eyebrow in question, looking between Yugi and the dragon.

“I think so? I’m pretty tired too, I’m not sure if we’ll make it back before the sun sets. We might have to camp out in the woods, Ryou.”

“Not agaiiiiin. Yugi, I just had to fight a dragon, no offense,” Ryou threw a look at the beast who just nodded. “Not to mention you just disappeared on me back there! I’ve worried enough today to take years off me. I think deserve a decent sleep tonight, in a decent bed.”

Yugi was about to respond when the dragon’s voice answered instead.

_Your friend is right, questions can be asked tomorrow when you both have the energy for it._

“But where will you go? I mean, uh, I’m still a little confused.” Yugi rubbed his forehead, hoping he didn’t get a headache from all of this.

_Do not worry, young one, I am not going anywhere. Your village would not welcome my kind, so I will stay on the outskirts and await you._

“Me? Why me?” Yugi blinked, confused.

The dragon’s frame shook in a chuckle.

_Because you have ridden me of the dark magic that once held me. For that I am thankful. But you are tired, and I can see most of what I am saying is only serving to confuse you more. I shall explain myself later. For now if you wish it, I can drop you both as close to the village as I dare without being spotted._

“Um, ok, yeah. Ryou, the dragon’s going to drop us off near the village so we won’t have to walk as far.” Yugi relayed what the dragon had said to his friend, who seemed to light up at the idea.

“I can’t say I’ve ever travelled dragon style in the sky, but if it gets me to the inn quicker I really can’t complain.” Ryou shrugged. Yugi nodded, turning back to the dragon. He realised that he didn’t even know the beast’s name, or really anything about it. Yugi had always heard stories of tamers who had tried to tame dragons to ride them. None of the stories ended well. Was it really going to let Ryou and himself ride it?

_Your tired mind is clouding your judgement, young one. You see shadows that are no longer there. I assure you I mean you no harm, now._

Yugi bit his lip in worry, thinking the words over. The dragon did seem calmer now, and even Ryou had said the dark magic had faded. So why did he still feel like there was something wrong? He tried to push the thought away, but it kept clinging to him desperately. _Maybe I_ am _just very tired, and over exaggerating my thoughts_ , Yugi mused, feeling the pull of exhaustion begging to return to his limbs. Whatever energy the dragon had sent him before was starting to wear off, and his original fatigue was resurfacing.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I can’t even think straight right now. Just do what you have to do, uh…” Yugi frowned, not sure what to call the dragon. Dragons had names, right?

  _Of course we do, young one. My name is Arduighaln._

“Ar… Arduo, ardutwig... Sorrry, I’m not very proficient in dragonic.” Yugi said, trying to hide his shame at mispronouncing the dragon’s name. It wasn’t like he had much practice considering the handful of dragons he had run into before he had barely spoken to. There was never a real reason for him to become proficient in the language.

_I wouldn’t expect you to be, our language can be very tricky to master. Feel free to call me whatever you wish. I have had many names before, what’s one more to add to the pile?_

“Ok, um… How about Arundel? It’s the name of this amazing place I once visited, and it’s kind of almost like a shorter version of your name.” Yugi asked. The dragon tilted its head to the side as if to consider the name for a moment before nodding. _It sounds like a fine name._

“Ok, Arundel it is then! It’s nice to meet you. Oh, and my name is Yugi, the white mage over there is Ryou,” Yugi waved towards were Ryou was observing the two interact. “Glad you’re feeling better, too. So what do we need to do? Do you want us to climb on your back or something?” Yugi could tell his words sounded sluggish, and he was sure when he didn’t feel so drained he was going to be very embarrassed about it.

 _No need, I can simply carry the both of you in my claws. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle_. The dragon added when he saw Yugi’s face cringe.

“Is that… safe?” Yugi asked. _Do you think I will drop you?_ The dragon rumbled in amusement. _Such little faith you have._

“Can you blame me? Just a while ago we were at each other’s throats.” Yugi laughed, shaking his head. He turned to Ryou, motioning for him to join Yugi.

“So? I’m afraid I don’t speak dragon. What’s happening? We leaving or what?” Ryou said with a yawn. He looked as tired as Yugi felt.

“Yeah we’re going. The dragon- I mean, Arundel, that’s his name now, said he’ll carry us down in his claws.”

Ryou blinked for a moment before he responded with, “Alright, whatever works. So long as I’m still in one piece by the time we reach the village.”

Yugi nodded, turning back to Arundel. “Alright, we’re ready. What do we do?”

 _Just stand still, and don’t panic, and I will do the rest._ The dragon replied, reaching forward to cup a clawed hand around Yugi in one arm, and Ryou in the other.

“Travelling in style, I see.” Ryou muttered, and Yugi shrugged. He was about to reply when Arundel suddenly leaped off the mountain top, and Yugi was forced to hold on for his life as the dragon plummeted down. This feeling of falling was far worse than the few times Yugi had fallen down a flight of stairs, or out of a tree. His stomach felt like he had left it back on the outcrop somewhere, and his torso was now hollow, the wind cutting through it. About halfway down the mountain, and after a whole lot of Ryou’s screaming, Arundel snapped his wings open and they suddenly pulled up, gliding along above the tree tops. The sea of green flashed by too fast for Yugi to be able to focus on anything, so instead he concentrated on clutching the scaled hand he was nestled in as his hair whipped wildly around his face.

Almost as soon as Yugi had begun to get used to the feeling of not having a stomach, Arundel began to decrease his speed, batting his wings against the wind currents. Yugi risked a peek downwards and saw that they were now descending onto an open field. He could see the rooftops of the village that had sent Yugi on this quest not too far from them. He couldn’t seem to remember the name of it, however much he wracked his memory. He shrugged it off to his exhaustion, although he couldn’t help but notice the black spots that fuzzed into his vision every now and then. He really needed to lie down.

Arundel touched down and gently uncurled his claws from around the two boys, and Yugi stood up to stretch, immediately regretting his actions as his muscles screamed in fatigue. He mumbled through grit teeth, squinting his eyes against the uncomfortable feeling of his arms twitching on their own accord.

“That… That was horrible. I never want to do that again. Is it time to sleep now or what? I need to purge that experience from my mind. I just hope the inn has some spare rooms tonight. It’s almost sun down.” Ryou commented, trudging off in the direction of the town. Yugi looked towards the horizon, and sure enough the dying streaks of orange stretched across the tree tops, while the upper sky had begun to turn an inky black. Several tiny stars were already shinning on the abyss. Yugi couldn’t believe it was already turning nightfall, how had he lost track of time so badly? Ever since coming back from taming Arundel, he hadn’t been feeling in his right mind. He chalked it up to his creeping exhaustion, but the pit in his stomach refused to go away.

 _Your friend is leaving without you, Yugi_. Arundel’s voice echoed, and Yugi snapped his attention over to where his friend had just been standing. Ryou was already on the other side of the clearing and heading through the trees, but had stopped to look back at Yugi.

“Coming, Ryou!” Yugi shouted back, waving at his friend. He started forward but stopped, remembering Arundel standing there in the clearing. He opened his mouth to say something to the dragon, but Arundel beat him to it.

_Don’t worry about me, young one. I will remain on the outskirts nearby. Should you need me, call out my name in Dragonic; I will hear you._

“Alright, I promise I’ll come and talk to you once I don’t feel like dropping off the face of the world.” Yugi gave a weak laugh before running off to join Ryou at the tree line.

“Took your time. Some of us are dying over here.” Ryou huffed, rolling his eyes in mock anger. Yugi just sighed, shaking his head. Ryou was one of those people you didn’t want to catch extremely tired, he tended to get grouchy when that happened.

“Sorry, your majesty, but I can’t just wander off before working out how we’re going to keep a dragon hidden. Unless you think the village has a spare room in the inn for him?” Yugi joked, enjoying the scathing look Ryou passed to him before stalking off. Yugi laughed, jogging to catch up with his friend’s quick strides.

Soon after, the two boys had reached the town’s outlying houses, and quickly made their way to the centre of the village, where all the shops and business was conducted. The main street was very uneven and lined with a cheap kind of cobblestone material. The houses were all simple wood with thatched rooftops, and they seemed to bunch together with little space in between the wooden structures. As night had fallen, people had lit several lamps inside posts along the street. Being a small village settlement, the people here probably didn’t, and couldn’t, rely on magic as a source of comfort. In some of the major cities Yugi had passed through, magic had been commonly used for mundane tasks, such as providing light sources and everyday chores. There was even rumours in lower town inns about castle folk having the ability to harness lightning to fuel their exclusive rich people machinery. Yugi briefly wondered if Ryou’s old magic school had any kind of advanced magical practices. He figured he should ask him sometime, maybe after he had gotten rid of his fatigue.

Ryou suddenly stopped and Yugi was forced to a halt to avoid ramming into the boy. He peered around Ryou to see where they were, and found they were in front of a building at the end of the street. It looked the same as all the other buildings, expect it was twice the size, and looked like two houses had been merged together to create it. There was two stories with several windows in each storey, one or two flickering with light in the upper level, while every window downstairs was pouring out light into the night. A collection of voices could be heard muttering inside through a large set of twin revolving doors. A rusted over sign hung above the doors with an artistic drawing of a wolf’s head snarling and the words reading: _The Raging Wulf._ Yugi felt his eyes narrow at the spelling, a sudden anger flaring up deep in his stomach. He knew for a fact that this settlement was home to humans and only humans. How _dare_ they use the ancient elven tongue on their mere human inn sign? The very thought of it was enough to make Yugi curl his lips in disgust. He couldn’t remember passing through the centre of town last time he had been here, which must be why he didn’t remember seeing this sign at all.

“Alright, this is it. Now we can—aaaand you’ve stopped.” Ryou said, raising an eyebrow at Yugi, who just looked from Ryou back to the sign and back again.

“Did you see this? I mean, the nerve of those humans! Using my ancient language for an inn name like it’s some passing trend!” Yugi stomped his foot down, crossing his arms angrily; he looked like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Calm down, Yugi. Remember, you’re half human too,” Ryou patted his shoulder, and Yugi shot him a glare. He didn’t like to be reminded of his mixed racial blood. “I’m sure they didn’t mean anything by it. We’re both very tired, let’s go inside and forget about it for now, yeah? You can rage to me about it tomorrow.” Yugi gave a huff, sighing reluctantly, but still not budging from his stance or position.

“Alright then, I guess I’ll go on ahead and check to see they’ve got a spare room. Come in when you’re ready and not about to tear someone apart, okay?” Ryou said before he disappeared into the building. Yugi muttered a stream of curses in a collection of different languages before heading in after Ryou. _Like there’s anything else to do out here at this hour_ , he thought grimly.

Yugi was suddenly assaulted with an array of different smells and sounds. There was the overwhelming buzz of conversation that was usual to the common room of an inn, where no matter how hard you tried to listen in on one conversation it was always interrupted by the volume and intensity of another close by. Often times when Yugi was eating a meal in a common room during peak hours, he would just sit back and let the sounds wash over him. It could be relaxing to zone out and listen to nothing but constant chattering and the clinking of glasses and mugs. The scents in the air were a mix of alcohol and human odour, which wasn’t very pleasant. Yugi could also pick up the feint whiff of soup coming from the kitchen on the far side of the room, and he guessed the inn’s patrons were being served their dinner while the locals drunk the night away. The air inside the inn was a great deal warmer than outside as well, and Yugi could feel the difference in the humidity. It felt nice and warm, but Yugi could tell if he spent long enough in the crowded space it would get uncomfortably hot soon enough. Instead he started for the far side of the room, where the greeting desk was located, sliding around several packed tables and ducking to avoid the wild swinging arms of a customer. Some beer had spilt out of the mug the person was carelessly carrying, and had landed in Yugi’s hair, most spilling into his bangs. He frowned, his lip pulled back, teeth showing in disgust as he tried to wipe the foul smelling liquid out of his hair while continuing towards the reception area.

Soon enough Yugi saw the familiar head of snow white hair that marked Ryou’s presence, and he glided over to stand beside him, swatting his stained blonde hair away from his face and glowering at the other boy. Ryou turned his head towards Yugi, took one look at Yugi’s face and turned back around to continue a conversation with a lady behind the counter. Yugi simply rolled his eyes before listening in to the two’s discussion.

“So you just want the one room kiddo?” The lady said, an eye brow raised as she patted her hands on the sullied apron she wore. She looked to Yugi to be one of the kitchen staff that worked here, probably the daughter of the innkeeper or cook or something. Even though she didn’t look that much older than Yugi and Ryou, she seemed to think that they looked younger. Yugi felt Ryou stiffen at the kid remark, but he continued to smile pleasantly, saying “Yes, please, just the one room for myself and my friend here.” The lady looked over at Yugi, who she seemed to have only just seen for the first time. Yugi tried his best to smile at her nicely, but suddenly the lady’s face flashed for a brief moment in disgust before returning to her forced happy business smile. Yugi blinked, not sure if he had imaged the split second reaction. That certainly wasn’t any way to treat a guest.

“You sure you only want one room? It’s only got one bed. Going to be awfully crowded with two… people in there.” The lady looked suspicious, looking at Ryou, and trying her best to ignore Yugi, who frowned at the lady’s apparent rudeness. He hadn’t even said a word to her, what did he do wrong? Ryou just nodded, quickly putting in a, “we’ll manage, thank you,” before handing over a few pieces of copper to the lady, who snatched them up quite hastily.

“Alright, whatever works for you, kiddo. Upstairs, down the hall. It’s the one on the far right.” The lady handed him a key engraved with a number on it. Ryou muttered a ‘thank you’ as he took the key, grabbing Yugi who began to protest his discomfort. Yugi followed behind Ryou who half dragged him up the stairs, stopping only once he reached the right door, placing the key in the slot before turning the knob to enter the room. Yugi grumbled in annoyance as Ryou finally let go, rubbing his arm as if to emphasise his displeasure.

“Stop that, I didn’t even hurt you.” Ryou muttered, narrowing his eyes at Yugi. Yugi just rolled his own eyes, deciding that in Ryou’s current grumpy condition it was best not to argue, especially with how annoyed he was by the hostess’ apparent lack of respect. Yugi guessed it had something to do with how remote and poor the village was, compared to the apparent luxury most mages were accustomed to living in. Ryou was probably regretting coming this far away from a decent castle or city; he wasn’t going to get much attention for his status out here. Yugi, meanwhile, just shrugged it off, not caring much for the rude display, it was something he was used to. Mages might be revered for having holy powers, but no one gave a beast tamer credit where credit was due. Oh no, he was only here to chase away a beast that was terrorising the village. He knew that Ryou would get most of the credit anyway, it always went that way with humans. But he was used to it, and after it happening so many times, he had begun to stop caring somewhere along the way.

He joined Ryou in the room, and took a quick look around. It was furnished the same as most regular inns. It had a bed in one corner, and a desk with a chair in the other space. A fairly large window lined part of the wall, and through it Yugi could see multiple rooftops from the surrounding houses, and a small portion of the street across the way, next to the main lane. He turned back to the bed to see Ryou had already dumped his belongings on the desk and had crashed on top of the mattress in a mess of white robes and fluffed up hair. Yugi felt himself yawn, and decided it was time he rested as well. Putting his bag down next to Ryou’s, Yugi began to undo all of his extra leather armour, taking off all the belts and his cape and placing them beside the bags. He was down to his simple clothes, a rough tunic with baggy cotton pants on underneath it. He pulled his blonde bangs, which still smelt quite foul, back behind his ears. No one was around to see them, so he wasn’t particularly worried about showing them off, since Ryou already knew of Yugi’s origins.

“If you don’t hurry up Yugi, you’ll be sleeping on the floor, especially since I paid for the room.” Yugi looked over at his friend to see those brown eyes glaring at him.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.” Yugi said, moving onto the mattress and making himself comfortable in the space between the edge of the bed and where Ryou was currently sprawled out. Yugi was sure that the idea seemed off to people like the worker lady downstairs, but for as long as Yugi could remember he had been fine with sleeping together with his friend. Although Ryou preferred sleeping in settlements as opposed to Yugi’s preference to camping outdoors, he still never complained when the two would rent out a room together. ‘It’s a lot cheaper to get a single room,’ he would say, sometimes, when innkeepers who were just a bit too nosy would ask. Most just looked suspiciously at the mage’s choice of companion, some ever going so far as to say that he should keep better company, being such a well-respected class like the white mage. Ryou would just politely shrug them off with a couple of words and a nice smile. Yugi was grateful to have a friend as loyal as Ryou was.

Yugi smiled, turning over to whisper to his friend. “Good night, Ryou.” But the boy was already fast asleep, his deep breathing echoing the rise and fall of his chest. Yugi shook his head, lying back the other way before falling off into sleep himself.

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Two: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's chapter two folks!  
> I must admit, I'm both surprised and very pleased no one asked about the dragon being the Red Eyes Black Dragon- I know it looks nothing like it, but when I was drawing the ending piece for chapter one, my cousin said it looked like it, and I freaked out, because he's not supposed to be the REBD! xD But I'm glad no one saw it that way, and besides, his identity was revealed in this chapter!  
> Now, some notes about Arundel. He's an oc, but he's not at the same time. He's actually based off of the dragon that Yugi tames in the original Monster World game in Season Zero/the original manga. If you watch that particular episode, you see that the dragon is red with green eyes- sound familiar? So yes, his design was based off of that dragon! I just filled in the gaps, tweaked it a bit to fit my story, and added his personality in. Honestly, he's my son, I love writing him so much~  
> On the origin of his name- honestly, I can't remember how I made Arduighaln. it's a mix between Arduino and Ardghal/Ardal (bear with me, I got these names from Behind the Name, so they might not be *100%* correct ^^;;). Arduino meaning brave friend, and Ardghal/Ardal is high/valour. So, essentially, Arundel's name is supposed to represent a brave friend of high valour. So there you go. Wish I had a cool dragon friend like that *glares enviously at Yugi*
> 
> Next Week- Some tension is made, and Yugi has a talk with Arundel.


	3. How Soon is Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the first in many mammoth chapters. This one clocks in at about 8,500 words/14 pages. It's a lot, but then again there's a lot of exposition to get through in this chapter, but still, I hope you enjoy it!  
> Chapter Three- How Soon is Now by The Smiths

_I am the son_

_And the heir_

_Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar_

 

Yugi woke to find the bed cold. He yawned loudly, stretching his limbs across the length of the bed. He blinked lazily, looking around with eyes half open. Ryou was nowhere to be seen, and his belongings were gone. Yugi wasn’t particularly worried though, since Ryou usually like to get up early in the morning to go shopping. He had probably already told everyone worth telling that the dragon had been ‘dealt with.’ Yugi didn’t mind, however, if Ryou took most of the first hand credit. He knew his friend meant well, and besides, any rewards he got he would share with Yugi when he returned.

Yugi pushed the bed sheet off of him, wiggling himself into a sitting position. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a piece of parchment sitting on the desk next to his knapsack. Moving off the bed, he half walked, half tumbled over to the desk, grabbing the sheet of worn material and bringing it up to his face. It took a moment for his sleep filled eyes to register the words, but eventually he could read enough to make out what it said.

**_Yugi,_ **

**_I’ve gone into the main street. Or, more accurately, I’m across the road I suppose. I’ll be back soon with food, don’t go anywhere, and don’t run off to see your dragon just yet._ **

**_-Ryou_ **

Yugi felt his face scrunch up in response. He wasn’t a child- Ryou didn’t have to leave him a bloody note telling him to stay put. He wasn’t even going to leave until Ryou got back! Yugi shook his head, tossing the paper back onto the desk. _Damn it Ryou you mages are so obsessed with keeping everything in order,_ Yugi mused. He had yet to meet a mage of any kind that didn’t value order and stability over everything else. One time, he had been travelling through the commoners section of a city when he ran into a mage outside of a horse stable. The mage had been running- probably out on some errand- when he had collided with Yugi. He had been going so fast that he had fallen over backwards into a pile of horse manure. The after effects hadn’t been pretty for Yugi. The mage had been quite high up in status, and it had taken a lot of evidence and trialling for Yugi to convince them that the mage had indeed fallen and Yugi hadn’t pushed him. It also helped that the mage had happened to have been seen in a tavern not too far away, so the council had written it off on intoxication, much to Yugi’s relief, but the instability of the mage’s actions caused quite the unnecessary uproar. Yugi was glad he didn’t stay long enough to see the aftermath of it.

Deciding he had nothing better to do while he waited for Ryou, Yugi grabbed the clothes he had left next to his bag and got changed. He moved to sit on the chair in front of the desk and pulled out his maps from his bag, smoothing the fabric out over the surface. He poured over them for a while, making several notes with indents in the material at locations that piked his interest. He liked to go exploring at times, when his resources would allow it. He figured when Ryou and he split up next, then he would go out westward. So far most of his travelling had been heading north, along the main paths somewhat. He had yet to fully branch out into unknown territory, a concept that both excited and terrified him somewhat. He wasn’t sure what kind of beasts lurked in areas untouched by humans, but he had heard stories and rumours. He brushed off a lot of it as silly human conspiracies, but the idea of finding something secret and undiscovered filled him with an unshakable anticipation. And who knows? Maybe he would run into other races out there. The west sides were filled with mountains and valleys, perfect spots for tribes and settlements that lived off the land, unlike the human kinds that set up wherever they wanted.

The sudden jingling of the door knob brought Yugi’s attention back to the present, and he looked over just in time to see Ryou walk through the door. He closed the door, nodding at Yugi before making his way over to stand behind the tamer, peering down at the maps.

“Heading west are we?” He commented, dropping a basket down on top of the maps. Yugi immediately picked it back up, noting the wafting smells of fresh bread coming out of it before rolling the maps out of the way and placing the basket back down.

“Thinking about it.” Yugi replied as he grabbed the bread loaf out of the basket, pulling a chunk off and cramming it into his mouth. The texture was amazing- the outside was crunchy, the inside warm and soft. It must have been from a recent batch, and although the top was the tiniest bit of burnt, it still tasted very satisfying to Yugi’s growling stomach. He was suddenly reminded that he had not eaten since the berries he had shared with Ryou yesterday before they had fought Arundel. Yugi briefly wondered if the dragon had gone hunting yet, since he had looked pretty tried as well yesterday.

“Must you eat like that? It’s very uncivilised.” Ryou stated, shaking his head dismissively. Yugi continued to stuff the baked goods into his mouth, ignoring his friend completely until he had finished.

“Sorry Ryou? You say something?” Yugi grinned innocently. The other boy glared at him, muttering to himself before kicking his boots off and flopping onto the mattress.

“Do what you want, Yugi. I’ll be hanging around here for a while. I’ve already restocked our supplies while I was out, so we can leave whenever we’re ready. The sooner the better, really. I only paid for one night, so we’ll be getting kicked out soon enough.”

“Alright, I’ll go check on Arundel and see what he’s doing. I’ll be back in a flash, and then we can decided where to head to next.” Yugi said as he grabbed his cape, wrapping it around his neck. He unhooked his bangs from behind his ears, making sure that they covered them once again- he didn’t need people to see them and freak out at him. He packed the maps away in his bag before holstering it over his shoulder, taking off out the door with a wave back at his friend. He sped down the stairs and headed straight for the exit, not really wanting to deal with the rude lady that had served them last night.

Once he was out on the street Yugi made his way to the edge of town. He noticed that there were few people around, and it made Yugi confused. It was the early morning, the time when all businesses had their influx of customers come to get the freshest supplies, and yet, there was hardly anyone around. Surely Ryou had told them, and they knew that the dragon was no longer a threat? But if that was the case, then why were there so few people around? What concerned Yugi even more was with how the minor number of people he saw in the streets were acting. Was is just him, or did they seem to be avoiding him indirectly? Yugi took note of how they seemed to cross the street ahead of him, or the hushed voices they would whisper into cupped hands as he passed. Did he suddenly become an outlaw overnight? The worst part was that Yugi had just saved them from their dragon threat, and now he seemed to be shunned as an outcast! Yugi couldn’t imagine anything ruder. _Humans,_ he thought with a roll of his eyes. He would just have to ignore them until he left town with Ryou. _He was right, the sooner the better by the looks of it. Maybe Ryou knows what’s going on, I’ll ask him when I get back._

Soon Yugi had reached the edge of town, and he welcomed the quiet relief of the forest as opposed to the prying eyes of the townsfolk. At least in the woods the only thing he had to worry about was where he was going and if something was trying to kill him. _Simple_ things. He made his way through the trees until he found the clearing that they had left Arundel at. However, as Yugi looked around, he realised the dragon was nowhere to be seen. He supposed it was possible he had flown off somewhere else, away from the village, or that he was hiding amongst the thicker sections of the forest, where the tress grew impossibly close together, barring entry in parts. But Yugi didn’t have the time to go looking for him. Suddenly he remembered the last thing Arundel had said to him yesterday, before he had left. He had been too tired and had almost missed the dragon’s words.

‘ _Should you need me, call out my name in Dragonic; I will hear you.’_

Yugi shuffled his feet, mulling it over. Would it work? He’d never had to summon a dragon before, (although that didn’t mean he hadn’t tried- and failed.) and he wasn’t really sure how to go about it. _Oh well, might as well try,_ he thought, taking in a deep breath before shouting the dragon’s name in Draconic out into the sky. He waited as several moments passed by in silence, before he began to hear the sound of wingbeats in the distance. Before long, the tree tops started swaying wildly as Arundel appeared above the clearing, circling down to land in front of Yugi.

 _Hello, Young Master Yugi._ Arundel said in greeting, dipping his head. Yugi nodded back in greeting before sitting down, making himself comfortable on the ground. The dragon followed his lead, crouching down into a lying position, tilting his head to the side as he waited for Yugi to speak.

“You know, you don’t have to call me that.” Yugi said, biting his lip. The words made him uncomfortable, he didn’t want to be known as a master, just as a friend. Why was it so hard to make friends with beasts?

 _It is hard because you are a tamer, Yugi. Beasts are instinctively urged to think of tamers as such when a bond is formed._ Arundel replied, and Yugi looked at him in shock.

“Wait, can you read my thoughts?”

_Of course, I… Have been doing it since yesterday, Yugi. Had you not noticed?_

“Not really, I guess I was too tired. Is it because of the bond?” Yugi shrugged. Arundel nodded. “I see. Well, I guess I’m not used to the whole ‘being bonded with a dragon’ just yet. I’ve never even seen anyone with a dragon before, let alone bonded with one. It’s more of a fairy tale story kind of thing. You’ve got the hero tamers who go off to fight big scary dragons to save some damsel in distress. It’s all very childish if you ask me. Something humans make up to fantasise about things they can’t have. Of course if it really happened they would be all ‘ahhh, that’s so wrong! What an abomination! Loud screeching sounds and pitchforks! Drive the witches away!’” Yugi threw his hands around in exaggeration and Arundel snorted.

_Well, I can certainly say I’ve never heard of any of that. I have had few encounters with humans in my life so far. Mostly they seem to fear my race. It’s quite rude to have spears thrown at you simply because they wandered too close to your lair. Really, it’s their fault. I was just minding my own business. And besides, they’re the reason dragons are considered so aggressive and deadly. I can guarantee you I have met dragons that couldn’t even hurt a fly, let alone kill of an entire village. We’re generally quite peaceful._

“You’re definitely right there.” Yugi laughed, smiling up at the dragon. Arundel just rolled his eyes, continuing his rant. Yugi liked how he was the one who had started ranting, and now he had made the dragon rant as well.

_And what would we even do with these damsels? Are they some riddle telling genius? Do they know the secret to the tastiest game? Why do these stories depict us stealing young females? I do not understand._

“Well, they are usually the love interest of the tamer- or knight, depending on who’s telling the story- and the hero must slay the dragon- no offense- to save the damsel from, I dunno, being eaten, I suppose.” Yugi explained.

 _Not a word of what you just said sounds like anything any dragon I’ve ever met would do. Who in their right draconic mind would eat human flesh? Surely that would give you indigestion. Your stomach would be rolling in pain for days_. Arundel looked at Yugi as if he was expecting Yugi to know the feeling.

“I can’t say that I’ve ever tried, Arundel.” Yugi cracked up, throwing his hands up and shaking his head. The dragon narrowed his eyes for a moment before giving Yugi a curt nod.

_Well, good, I suppose. Don’t start trying. I don’t need to be bonded to a cannibal. Just wouldn’t feel right. Though I suppose I should be glad you’re not a young female. Don’t want some armour clad fool coming to slice my head off because I stole his mate._

Yugi couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing, falling backwards and doubling over in a fit of laughter. “You’re... You’re killing me here… Ha…”

 _Well then stop, I don’t need you dying. How do you humans survive if you die from laughter?_ Arundel frowned down at him, concern present in his glittering eyes.

“No, it’s, phft. It’s just a saying. I’m not actually dying from laughing, don’t worry.” The dragon studied him for a moment before giving a _huff_ and moving his head away.

 _I may be young in dragon years, but I believe I can say with the upmost confidence that I will never understand humans properly._ He snorted. Yugi just nodded, closing his eyes and sighing. It felt good to laugh after the ordeal they had all been through.

 _So… Is just Yugi fine, then?_ Arundel asked, looking down at Yugi with a tilted head, who had opened his eyes at the dragon’s words and nodded back.

“Yeah, just Yugi. It’s my name after all, don’t need to be called anything else.”

_Very well then, Yugi. Now, I hate to break the cheerful moment, but I’m sure you have questions to ask, and you seem to be in a sort of hurry._

Yugi blinked, suddenly remembering why he was here. Aside from checking up on the dragon, he had to ask him about what had happened to make him possessed with the dark magic.

_I’m afraid I cannot answer your question very well. I too have been pondering over what happened, but I’m afraid most of the time I spent under that spell seems to be lost to me._

“Most? Does that mean you remember a little of it?” Yugi sat up, his attention devoted to Arundel.

_Some, yes. I remember just before the darkness enveloped me. I had been traveling around a mountain range. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary, but when I look back now, I remember seeing an old looking castle built into the side of one of the mountains. It looked overrun with nature, I doubt any humans had taken residence there for a while, but still, it was the last thing I remember before… Darkness. After that, there was nothing but darkness, and I remember feeling like it was driving me insane. There was this overwhelming feeling of emptiness, and… Loneliness. Except, it didn’t feel like it was mine. Instead it felt like it was been pressed onto me, from all different angles and sides, and it was maddening. I can’t imagine living with those feelings constantly._

“That sounds… Sad, and painful. I’m sorry.” Yugi said, chewing on his lip.

_Don’t be. It’s over now, and that is all that matters. I cannot help but wonder about that presence, though. I feel as if there was a darker force at work there. We had best steer clear of that area. I would hate for that to happen again, let alone it happen to you._

Yugi gave him a sad smile, thinking over the dragon’s words. Suddenly an idea clicked in his mind, and he whipped his head around to face Arundel, who stared back at him in confusion, having probably already read his mind.

_Another presence in your magic? I don’t remember feeling anything. Then again, I must say I don’t remember anything about the process. I remember your warm touch, and then the dark magic was gone. But what is this presence you speak of?_

“Well, usually when a tamer connects with a beast, we’re transported to another space, a sort of in between area where the magic can work at a better efficiency, I think. I haven’t made the connection often, but during the other times, it was a simple thing that passed by fairly quickly.” Yugi explained, motioning with his hands as he went.

 _But something happened during this one?_ Arundel asked.

“I think so. Well, at least it’s never happened before. I don’t know what to make of it, but my gut feeling tells me that whatever it was, was not good.”

 _Perhaps it is linked to the castle I saw. So long was we do not venture closer to it, I should think we will be safe. For now, at least. But you know, your friend_ is _a white mage. Surely if you felt anything to be amiss you could ask for his help?_

“Yeah, that’s true. I guess I should stop worrying about it so much. Cross that bridge when it comes, right? If it comes, that is.”

_Hmm, yes. I believe you should head back to your friend now. Activity seems to be picking up in town._

‘Really? I hope nothing’s wrong. People were acting strange this morning. I better go find Ryou so we can get out of here.” Yugi stood up, brushing the grass that clung to his tunic. He was about to take off out of the clearing when he stopped, turning back around.

“Umm, should we arrange a meeting point? I mean, where will you go from here? Did you even want to travel with me? Because I can break the bond if you want, I won’t force you to travel.” Yugi said. Arundel dipped his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at Yugi.

 _Why would I want to do that? I enjoy travelling, and I enjoy your company. Seems like a win win situation, wouldn’t you agree?_ Yugi felt his face brighten up and couldn’t help the wide smile as Arundel’s eyes glistered knowingly. _In that case, just find your friend and head out of town. I always know where you are, so you don’t have to worry about losing me. I’ll meet up with you when you’re far enough away down the road that my presence won’t alert anyone._

And with that said, Arundel turned around and headed deeper into the forest, away from the village. Yugi called out a goodbye to him, which was returned with a flick of the dragon’s tail, before he headed in the opposite direction, racing back into the outskirts of town. By the time he was back on the main street, a feeling of uneasiness had begun to worm its way into his stomach. Something just didn’t feel right, and Yugi thought that meant something bad was bound to happen. He had no idea what it could be, since the village no longer had a dragon problem. He figured it was best to get Ryou and leave before anything happened.

Suddenly Yugi stopped walking as he realised he was being approached by a large group of villagers. They didn’t look happy, in fact, most of them wore faces of disgust. Yugi blinked, fear beginning to bubble in his chest. What did they want? What had he done?

They stopped a few metres away from him, creating a sort of semi-circle spread out in front of him. Yugi tried to back away to clear some room between him and the crowd, but to his dismay his back pressed against the wall of a well that was in the middle of the street. He was trapped. He looked around to see some faces that he had noticed from the inn common room last night, including the serving lady, who was at the front of the group.

“H-Hello there. Is something the matter?” Yugi asked, unsure of what to say in the situation. Some of the people in the back began to whisper loudly before a man in the front gave them a look that silenced them.

“We don’t take kindly to your kind around here, _boy_.” The same man said, practically spitting out the word _boy_.

“I’m sorry? _My_ kind? Have I done something wrong?” Yugi asked as politely as he could manage. Last time he checked, he had been nothing but kind to these people, not to mention offering to deal with their problems that they couldn’t handle. _If this is how they treat their saviours then I should have left Arundel to burn their village,_ Yugi thought darkly. Another man stepped forward, this one holding a farming tool of some kind.

“I saws you out there boy, shoutin’ in some dark voo doo magic spell. Summoned a dragon, he did! He’s a wizard I tell ya!” The man jabbed an accusing finger towards Yugi, who stared back at him in shock.

“What…? I’m not a wizard! I’m a beast tamer! I tamed that dragon so it would leave your village alone!” Yugi said in defence. What an outrageous accusation! Did they really think he was a wizard? Clearly they had no idea of the kind of power a true wizard held, otherwise they would definitely not be trying to aggravate him like they were right now. But Yugi wasn’t as angry as he was scared. There was a dark voice in his head telling him he should be angry, but it was overwhelmed by the power of his dread.

The lady from the inn sneered at him as she shouted for everyone to hear. “Don’t play dumb! I saw what you are, boy! You’re an elf!”

And with that one word Yugi’s anxiety began to drown him in a sea of fear and anguish. He instinctively reached up to his accursed pointed elf ears that he kept so well hidden from the world. “But they’re _covered_ …” Yugi whispered, afraid that his voice would be heard. And then it hit him. Last night. He had been so busy trying to get the alcohol out of his bangs that he must have accidentally revealed his ears. He hadn’t been imagining that lady’s brief facial reaction. She had seen, she had _seen_ them damn it.

People began to hurl abuse at him after the woman’s accusation, cries of ‘ _Elf scum!_ ’ and, ‘ _Wizard! Burn him!_ ’ echoing the loudest. Hearing them only served to heighten Yugi’s fear, as he knew he needed to use those grotesque ears to listen. _They know they know they know they know they know they know they know they know they know,_ he repeated in his head, his thought process reduced to sounding like a broken record. He pushed hard against his ears, scraping over the flesh with his gloves, hoping that maybe if he tried hard enough, the angry cries could be blocked out.

“Get out of here you traitor!” One of them yelled at him, and a weapon or tool of some kind was trusted into his vision, terribly close to his face. Yugi freaked, adrenaline spiking through his system as voices raged in his head. _Kill them, run away, kill, run, kill, run, kill, run!! **NO, it’s wrong! I can’t!** _ Yugi screamed in his head, trying to silence the voices. Were these voices real, or was he imagining it amoung the torrent of insults being thrown at him? _Weak, you’re **weak.** You’re **nothing** but a weak half-breed. Nobody **wants** you._

“S-S-Stop, p-please.” Yugi cried, the beginnings of tears starting to well up in the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t take it anymore. Just then a voice called out, louder than the others, and somewhere in Yugi’s mind it sounded familiar. A smudge of white entered his vision and Yugi thought he recognised Ryou.

“Hey! Leave him alone! He’s done nothing wrong to you lot!” Ryou yelled, pulling himself in front of Yugi to act as a barrier. His arm was rested protectively over Yugi’s.

“He’s an elf! He was born wrong!” Someone shouted back.

“ _No he was not!!”_ Ryou screamed, his eyes flashing dangerously in fury. Some of the men looked like they wanted to argue, but Ryou wasn’t in the mood they could tell. He turned to face Yugi, who just stared up at him with large, fearful eyes. Suddenly a loud roar echoed over the village, and everyone looked up in time to see Arundel soar over the sky, his scales glistering the colour of dark blood. The villages began to panic, completely forgetting about Yugi in their moment of fear.

 “Yugi, come on! We have to run!” Ryou shouted. Seeing his chance with Arundel’s distraction, he pulled Yugi’s arm as he sprinted out of town, half dragging Yugi’s uncooperative body along with him. Once they were far enough away, Ryou’s pace slowed down, and the boy stopped altogether to catch his breath. Yugi was panting as well, but it was more from the crippling fear he felt than from exhausting his body.

“Yugi, please, speak to me. What happened?” Ryou asked, his eyes full of concern. Yugi just shook his head, covering his ears once again with his hands.

“N-N-No, pl-please. Don’t look at me. I’m a m-m-monster.”

“Yugi, look at me. Yugi please.” Ryou said, moving to face Yugi head on, gently cupping his face with his hands and tilting it upwards. Their eyes locked and Yugi saw the depths of concern in those brown irises.  

“You’re not a monster. You’re not an abomination. Don’t believe anything they say. Your ears are beautiful, Yugi, you hear me? Beautiful.”

Yugi felt tears as they began to slide down his face. “B-But—“

“No buts Yugi. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Your ears are beautiful, just like you are, don’t let them think otherwise.” At Ryou’s words Yugi felt himself break down into a crying mess, falling onto the ground. He was dimly aware of Ryou moving to put his arms around him, and he leaned into the touch, grateful to have the support. They laid there for a while, Yugi wrapped in Ryou’s arms, crying out chocked sobs while Ryou drew soothing circles on his back, until the gentle wing beats of a dragon could be heard. Yugi and Ryou both looked up, and through tear stained eyes Yugi could see the dark red outline of Arundel’s scaled body, yellow wings flapping in the wind.

Soon enough the dragon had landed, immediately racing over to the boy’s side with giant footsteps.

 _What’s going on? What happened, Yugi? Why are you crying? I felt your distress back in the village. Please, tell me what is wrong._ Arundel’s eyes held the same level of concern as Ryou’s, and Yugi sighed, pressing himself against Ryou for more support.

“I…I…” Yugi tried to, but he found he couldn’t form the words right. He looked up at Ryou, who gazed back at him before nodding curtly.

“Ok dragon, you see, Yugi is half elf on his father’s side. The villagers found out about Yugi’s ears been all pointy like an elf’s, and they got very aggressive about it. Bunch of sods really. There’s nothing wrong with been a half-breed, humans can just be very narrow minded and racist when it involves anything else other than humans. They’re scared that he has more power over them being half elf.”

 _I am aware of Yugi’s heritage. I would be a fool if I could not sense the elf blood’s magic within him._ Arundel scoffed, before turning back to Yugi. _What I don’t understand is why humans make such a big deal about it. It is not your fault what race your parents are, Yugi._

Yugi looked up at him sadly, giving him a false smile. “I-I’m fine, really. I just… I just need a moment.”

“ _Somehow I don’t believe that._ ” Ryou and Arundel said at the same time. Yugi blinked at the both of them, and Ryou raised an eyebrow back. “What, we say the same thing or something?” Yugi chocked out a weak bark of laughter at Ryou’s question.

_I think it would be best if we headed on our way, Yugi. The villagers may decide to follow us. It is best we put this behind us._

“Y-Yeah, I guess.” Yugi said, frowning. He turned to Ryou and repeated what Arundel had said.

“He’s got the right idea,” Ryou said with a nod. “We really should get going. Will you be alright to walk?”

“Yeah, I think I can manage, don’t worry about me.”

“Hmm, well, if you need help let me know.”

_I could also carry you, should you need it._

“Thanks, but I’ll be alright guys. Really, thanks.” And with that Yugi stood up, Ryou following closely after. Once they had worked out where they were headed next- a small town some ways down the north road- the two boys set off, Arundel taking to the skies and following them closely.

* * *

 

It was slow going the next few days while Yugi recovered from his shock. The road was particularly difficult to traverse in parts, and they had to make several detours along game trails to search for food, as Ryou’s supplies had begun to run low and they didn’t want to waste what they had left. Arundel had offered every morning to carry them both to their destination, but Yugi had refused, saying he enjoyed travelling on foot, and Ryou wasn’t really excited at the idea of experiencing flying again.

Yugi spent all day travelling with his companions in relative comfort and all night experiencing crippling fear inducing nightmares that threw away that sense of safety. Every night it always began the same way and ended the same way. Some parts in the middle changed occasionally, but most of the details stayed the same. He would go to sleep to wake up in the dream state covered in chains. They restricted all of his movement, and the more he struggled against him, the more they gripped and dug into his skin. The first night Yugi had been so worried with how bloodied his hands had gotten that when he had woken screaming he though his hands were cut to the bone. It had taken Ryou and Arundel quite a bit of time to calm him down.

After being bound in chains, the nightmare location would change, and Yugi would find himself floating in a black abyss- still wrapped in chains- with shadows circling around him and brushing against him every now and then. They felt cold and alarming, it was like someone was spreading some kind of sappy material over his body, and it made Yugi very uncomfortable. He could hear the muttering of voices constantly, in a kind of steady chanting, but no matter how hard he tried to listen in to them, he couldn’t work out what they were saying. Then he would be assaulted with a wave of pain, and his senses would scream out for the agony to stop as he thrashed around in his bonds. It felt like his soul was being shredded in half, the pain was so incredible. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, the searing pain would stop, and with it the chains would shatter, freeing him. The dark abyss would then dissolve, and Yugi would find himself standing in the middle of a room in a castle.

The walls and floor were made of stone, but looked old and worn away in places. Each wall was lined with massive bookshelves filled with various kinds of books. Except it had looked like a hurricane had blown through the room, as the shelfs were in disarray, and books were scattered everywhere. Some had great big gashed scored across the covers while others had all their pages ripped out and thrown across the room. It looked more like a beast had torn through as opposed to a hurricane. The first few times Yugi had been sent here, he had tried to pick up a book to read, but every time he tried the book would suddenly melt away in his hands, so he stopped after a while. By this point Yugi would usually just stand around the room, waiting to wake up. It was always with a sense of dread and uneasiness that he waited, as he knew how the nightmare would end every time. Soon enough, he would hear a low animalistic growl, and lock eyes with two glowing irises staring at him from the darkness.

“ ** _You shouldn’t be here_** ” Yugi would hear a low voice say before the shadows would jump forward and he would spiral into the darkness, waking up in the real world in a cold sweat.

So far he hadn’t been able to find a way to chase off the nightmares. Ryou had tried several different spells and magic, but nothing seemed to have worked. The other boy seemed convinced that it was the work of some dark magical force at work, but Yugi had just said it was probably just caused by a combination of stress and fatigue, since it wasn’t really doing anything except interrupt his sleeping patterns. Yugi tried to put on a brave face, but he knew Ryou could tell he was losing sleep from the nightmares.

As it turned out, the town they were heading to was supposed to have an expert healer in it, which Ryou seemed to believe would be able to help Yugi with his nightmare problems. Yugi insisted that it wasn’t a problem, but Ryou was not having any of it, stating that they would go see the healer whether Yugi wanted to or not. Deep down, Yugi thought that Ryou was more upset with himself for not being able to find a way to help his friend. He was supposed to be an excellent white mage, and while he definitely was, he tended to beat himself up over the things he couldn’t help fix.

After a week’s worth of exhausting travelling, they had arrived at the town of Lindolf. It was very similar to the previous town, except this one was a bit bigger in terms of residences and houses. They had stopped on the outskirts where Arundel couldn’t go any further without risking being spotted, and Ryou had pulled Yugi aside.

“What’s up Ryou?” Yugi asked, unsure why they weren’t just continuing on. Ryou gave him a look that said he knew better.

“Listen, Yugi, I think you should stay with your dragon- what’s his name, Arundel?- While I head into town alone. I don’t think you’re quite ready to deal with people just yet.” He said softly, placing a hand over Yugi’s shoulder.

“What do you mean? Ryou, I’m fine, really. I told you a week ago I was fine, and I mean it.” Yugi said with a frown. As much as he appreciated Ryou’s support, he didn’t like being treated like a child.

“Yugi, I know that, but, please understand, you’re shaking like a leaf.” Ryou said gently. Yugi blinked in surprise, looking down at his hands to find them clenched tightly together and shaking uncontrollably.

“I…” Yugi stared at them in shock, looking back up to Ryou who just smiled warmly back, pulling Yugi into a hug.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise. I’ll find the healer and see what I can find for your nightmares too.” He whispered into Yugi’s ear before breaking the hug to stand in front of him.

“Al… Alright, Ryou, I trust you.” Yugi smiled at him, and the white haired teen smiled back before turning away to make his way down the path to the village.

 _He truly does care for you._ Arundel commented, gazing at the retreating form of Ryou.

“Yeah, he’s a great friend,” Yugi replied. “So, what do we do, sit around twiddling our thumbs while we wait for him to return?”

_It would seem so._

“Huh, alright then.” Yugi decided he had better make himself comfortable, so he sat down against a nearby tree, leaning back and closing his eyes. He was tired, and if he had to wait for Ryou he might as well try to get some sleep. Maybe he would get lucky, and the nightmares would stop for today.

* * *

 

Ryou headed through the buildings littered on the outskirts of town, waving occasionally at the children who passed him, giggling at his white robes and fluffy hair. He smiled, enjoying the faces that would light up in happiness as he passed. He liked the way people thought so highly of white mages. Being very proficient in the healing arts, people everywhere knew that a white mage was the best kind of magical user to see around. Where ever he went, Ryou was always greeted with smiles and welcoming gestures. _Unlike Yugi…_

Ryou sighed, feeling the smile tip downwards when he thought about his friend. It really wasn’t Yugi’s fault that people were so abrasive about his elf heritage. Humans just had a lot of unexplained problems with elves, even Ryou didn’t understand. Growing up in a magic school in the wealthy city of Malle, Ryou had to admit that he hadn’t seen a single elf while he was within the city walls, but he had met a few during his travels who were all very nice and polite to him, Yugi being one of them. He still remembered the first time he had seen Yugi’s ears. At first he had been surprised, after all, they made him look so adorable, so why did he hide them? But when Ryou had asked him, the boy had broken down into a sobbing mess much like he had a week ago, muttering about how much of an abomination he was. It had taken a bit of coaxing, but eventually Yugi had calmed down, and since that day Ryou promised, although his ears were lovely, that he would not mention anything about his elf heritage in public for Yugi. Ryou just hoped that one day the humans would realise their misdoings and make peace with the other races.

By the time he had reached the center of town and found the building he was looking for, the sun was almost at the peak of the sky. The weather over the last few days had been quite warm, and Ryou was lamenting having to wear his heavy mage robes everywhere, as they were not well suited to the heat, and he had been sweating horribly for quite some time. Ryou knocked on the door, and when he heard someone shout for him to come in, he opened it, stepping inside.

It was fairly cooler out of the sun, and for that Ryou was thankful. What he didn’t appreciate, however, was the disgusting array of fragrances that assaulted his nose. It smelt like some unholy combination of too many grounded herbs and off vegetables, clouded over with far too much perfume. It took everything Ryou had not to gag over the smell. He made his way past a collection of hanging potted plants to the back of what he presumed was the meeting room of the house. A desk was set up here, covered in sheets of parchment and letters. A man sat behind it, pouring over the different manuscripts with a bored expression. When he saw Ryou, however, his face lit up and his lips curved in a smile that looked entirely too false for Ryou’s liking.

“Why hello there young man! Looking to purchase some herbal goods are we?” The sickly sweet voice of the shopkeeper sang out, and Ryou had to stop himself from cringing. Everything about this place was just wrong, the sooner he got this over and done with the sooner he could get out.

“Yeah, but not for me.” Ryou said, casually shrugging. He didn’t want this idiot thinking he needed his help.

“Oh? But everybody needs herbal remedies at some point young man. It’s the only thing you can rely on to heal.”

“Yeah, not really.” Ryou held up one of his gauntlets that held the circlet symbol of white magic over his wrist. The man’s smile faltered for a moment before he forced it back on. “Oh… I see… We don’t get many white mages passing through.” He commented, and Ryou shrugged, keeping his warm smile on the best he could manage.

“Yes, well, I’m just here for a friend. He needs something for some nightmares he’s been having. Have you got anything for that? A sleeping draught would work.”

“Might I ask, good sir, why you haven’t offered your services to your friend? Surely curing nightmares is a task most trivial to someone of your calibre.”

Ryou felt his face fall at the comment, and he tried to hide it. How _dare_ this knock off assume so little of him and his magic! He had tried to help Yugi, but nothing in his vast knowledge of spells had helped. Ryou was beginning to suspect that this man couldn’t help either, but he bit his tongue, not wanting to erupt into a fight with the self-proclaimed _healer_. “I tried, but I’m afraid it is something magic cannot heal.” He said through gritted teeth. The shopkeeper tutted, shaking his head.

“You see, not everything can be solved through magic. That’s why people need to start relying on us natural healers more.” The man sighed.

“I guess,” Ryou said, doubting very much that people should rely on this shady character at all. He didn’t even know why he was still here. “So a sleeping draught…?”

“Hmm? Oh yes, I’ve got one. Completely organic and guaranteed to work on even the worst form of nightmares.” The man explained as he ducked under the table and remerged holding a small vial filled with some kind of gross liquid. Ryou turned his nose up at it as the man continued to talk.

“Yes, this is one of my finest works, you can see the quality of the product, even to the untrained eye.” He added slyly, and Ryou felt a flush began to creep up his neck. How he wanted nothing more right now than to sock this con artist in the face. But he resisted, he had to be nice and polite so as not to cause a scene. He still had thinks he wanted to do in town, after all.

“Yes yes, that’s great. How much is it?” Ryou asked, glancing over at the bottle. Judging by the healer’s face, whatever he was asking, Ryou was sure he wasn’t going to pay it.

“The merge price of three silver to alleviate your friend’s troubles.” He said smugly, and Ryou couldn’t help the chocked noise he made.

“Three silver? You have got to be kidding me! Nobody would pay three silver for a sleeping draught! That’s extortion!”

“If you won’t pay my price,” The healer placed the bottle back under the table. “Then you don’t get my herbal remedies.” He said matter-of-factly.

“Fine, I won’t then! My friend doesn’t need your gross concoctions anyway!” Ryou threw his hands up, glaring at the man before turning around to storm out the door, the sickly sweet voice of the healer calling out a farewell behind him. _Idiot, he wouldn’t know a healing spell even if it was casted right in front of him! To think he believes himself better than mages, bah!_

Ryou didn’t stop his trudging until he was far enough away from the healer’s shop that he could no longer see it. He curled his fists into balls, shaking slightly in his anger. No, he couldn’t afford to be angry, Yugi was waiting for him, and he had little time to visit his next destination. His resolve set, Ryou made his way through the town’s streets until he found the place he was looking for. Opening the door with a knock, he went inside.

“Hello? Mister Macian? Are you home?” He peered around the room, which was dimly lit by a lamp swaying dangerously far out of its socket above, illuminating only a small section of the floor. The floor was covered in books stacked in messy piles, occupying the majority of available space. There was a thin path between several stacks that seemed to carry into another room, and Ryou followed the trail, poking his head into the room to repeat his words. This time he heard a loud crashing sound, and a voice calling out, shuffling noise of shoes filling the space. Soon enough a man appeared in the doorway, rubbing at his temple. He appeared to be in his later years, his face carrying the marks of age while his tiny wisps of hair were a grey in colour.

“Yes yes, what is it, I’m busy you know.” He said, before he took a look at Ryou, his eyes lighting up in recognition.

“Ah, Ryou, my boy! How goes the travelling? I didn’t think I’d see you back here for a while.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think I would be back, Macian, but I was in the area,” Ryou clasped Macian’s hand into his own in a shake. “Plus, I managed to unearth a new lead- this one promises to be worth looking into.”

“Ryou my boy, you’re not still looking into that forgotten magic mystery mumbo are you?” Macian said, looking at Ryou from over the rim of his glasses.

“I refuse to give it up, every clue I find only brings me closer to the truth.” Ryou stated, shuffling his feet awkwardly. He didn’t like getting lectured about this, even though he knew the old man only meant well, and was only looking out for Ryou’s best interest.

“And every step closer you get to that leads you closer to danger. I should think, by now, you had stopped looking, or at the very least, had run out of leads.”

“Well that’s why I’m here, sort of. I stumbled across a piece of information that said there was an old wizard’s tower around these parts somewhere. I figured, being someone who had lived here for quite some years, you would know if it was true.”

Macian looked thoughtful for a moment, appearing to be racking his brain for the information Ryou needed. Finally he spoke up. “Ah, yes, I remember hearing something about that once. Not the kind of info you hear day to day, mind you. It supposedly lies in a valley out west from here. Might take a few days to reach, though.”

“That’s fine, I’m restocking our supplies while I’m in town anyway.”

“Our?” Macian asked suspiciously and Ryou flinched. “You haven’t dragged another poor soul into your mad quest have you?”

“No, no, don’t worry, he’s just a friend who’s traveling with me right now. I promise, I have no intention of getting him involved in this.” Ryou put his hands up defensively.

“I should hope so. Now, let’s go get you a map of the area.” The old man shuffled off to the side, glancing over the book piles until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled the book out of the pile, causing all the ones on top to collapse onto the ground. Ryou had to cover his face to avoid the dust cloud that emerged.

“Here we are.” Macian opened the book, flicking to a particular page and pointing at a spot. The page was covered in a map’s grid, with several illustrations and writings marking different locations. Ryou recognised Lindolf in the far right lower corner, but the spot the old man was pointing to was in the opposite direction. “This is where you will find the tower, providing these maps are accurate and some dark force hasn’t done away with it.” Macian joked, tearing the page out and handing it to Ryou, who thanked him kindly for it.

“Don’t thank me for sending you on this path, my boy. If you asked me, wizard dwellings are no place for anyone to visit. For all you know, a new wizard could have moved in there. You could be walking to your death, you know.” The old man said, his tone serious.

“I know, Macian, but I have to try. This is my quest, and I swear I will find the answers I’m looking for. I can feel it.” Ryou felt his hands clench tighter at his resolve.

“Just promise me you won’t do anything reckless, Ryou. You’re a good mage, I’d hate to see you get hurt.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. And when I solve the mystery, I’ll be sure to come back and tell you all about it, in fact I’ll make sure the world knows of it,” Ryou said, turning away to leave before he remembered something. “Oh, one sec, Macian. Would you happen to know anything about stopping nightmares?”

“Nightmares, huh? You having trouble sleeping? Maybe if you stopped poking your nose into places it don’t belong, you wouldn’t be having them.” The old man rolled his eyes, but moved to the stacks of books, once again scanning the titles.

“No, it’s not for me, it’s for my friend. He’s been having really bad nightmares recently. I went to see the self-proclaimed town healer, but he was nothing but a con artist trying to sell vegetable juice off as sleeping draught.” Ryou scoffed.

“That wack job? Yeah, everyone steers clear of him, he’s no good. Ah, here it is,” Macian grabbed a book off one of the actual bookshelves, and handed it to Ryou. “Try some of these, they might work, they might not, but it’s your best bet. Otherwise, you’re better off asking a real mage, not me. After your trip west, you should head to Rohesia. I hear all sorts of things have been happening up that way, and you seem to have a knack for trouble. Could find something useful up that way.”

“Thank you, Macian. I think I will have to head there next, I hear Rohesia is a city full of secrets.” Ryou nodded his thanks, taking the book from Macian and tucking it away in his bag before exiting out the door into the afternoon light.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Three: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Achk! Poor Yugi, I put him through so much... Lucky Ryou's there to make it all better. Can't have you all angry with me for dragging our little Beast Tamer through the mud now can I? xD  
> The way this story is set out is in three different parts, with an Epilogue chapter at the end. So 1-4 is setting up the story, 5-8 is the build up to the main plot, and 9-12 is the climax and resolution. 13 is the epilogue, of course. So, by next week we'll have the majority of Ryou's and Yugi's story set up, although the real fun won't start until all the players have shown up. Anyone wondering where Yami is yet? Well you'll be wondering that for awhile still, since he kind of doesn't show up yet... Opps? Ahaha. But really, the story wouldn't let me put him in too early, so blame the plot (but if I wrote the plot... Then you can technically still blame me! Gah! I don't win it seems ^^;; ) Still, my lips are sealed. Can't be revealing too much now can I? After all, my writing would have been for nothing if I just outright told the plot. Until next week! Thank you for reading! :D
> 
> Next Week- The trio explore a Wizard's Tower, some adventuring happens, and Yugi has a conversation with a horse.(sounds like the opening for an episode of Top Gear doesn't it? xD)


	4. Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said last chapter was big? Well welcome to the biggest chapter to date; just over 10K words. Yeah it's massive, but I had a lot of stuff I needed to fit in here, and I really didn't want to split it ^^; Hope you enjoy it!~  
> Chapter Four- Us by Regina Spektor

_We’re living in a den of thieves_

_Rummaging for answers in the pages_

_We’re living in a den of thieves_

_And it’s contagious, it’s contagious_

Yugi spent the greater half of the morning just sitting around waiting for Ryou to come back. He had a few light conversations with Arundel, but after a while, tiredness began to take away his ability to speak coherently, so he opted to lie back against the tree instead, soaking in the sun. He tried to get some sleep, but the imminent fear of waking into his nightmares kept him just barely awake. By the time Ryou had returned, he had only had a small nap, and he still felt tired.

“Hey Yugi, got you some fresh fruit. The guy selling it claimed it was, ‘freshly picked right off the tree!’” Ryou grinned, tossing an apple at Yugi who just managed to catch it in time. He hadn’t realised, but he was actually pretty hungry. He bit into the apple, savouring the slight acidic taste of sweetness as the juices ran down his face.

“Wow, you sure know how to eat attractively.” Ryou commented, scoffing when Yugi gave him a grin full of apple chunks. Yugi concentrated on finishing off the apple, throwing away the core when he was done.

“So, what’s the plan, Ryou?” Yugi asked.

“Well, I heard a rumour that there’s supposedly an old wizard’s tower out west of here. I was planning on headed out there to check it out, could be some useful information out there.”

“Yeah, you might even finally find your legendary book!” Yugi joked, and Ryou smiled.

“Yeah maybe. Would be nice to find something legendary, wouldn’t it?” He mused, his voice trailing off.

“So… Is this were we split up?” Yugi asked, biting his lip out of habit. He always hated the moment when he had to ask this. He was usually fine with travelling by himself, but it had been months since the last time they had travelled as a pair, and Yugi was hoping that they would be able to spend some time together.

“I don’t see why we have to. Why don’t you come with me to the tower? You were planning on heading out west anyways, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but that was not anytime soon. I guess I just don’t have any plans at the moment. You wouldn’t mind me coming?” Yugi looked hopeful.

“Of course not, you’re always welcome, Yugi.” Ryou laughed.

“Awesome,” Yugi smiled, pushing himself off the tree and into a standing position. “Are we heading off now?”

“Yeah, the sooner the better. I’ve got a map with the location on it, but like I said, it’s only really rumours, so it might not actually be there. Still, I want to check. Maybe you can make better sense out of it than I can, maps are more your thing anyway.” Ryou dug into his shoulder bag, pulling out a book and opening it up. He picked up a loose sheet of paper and handed it to Yugi he took it and examined the page. The landmarks and graphs all seemed well placed, and Yugi could clearly see the path they needed to take to reach the valley.

“Looks pretty straight forward. I’ve never seen a wizard’s tower before, you don’t think someone still lives there do you?” Yugi raised an eyebrow in question, to which Ryou shrugged off with a dismissive wave.

“I doubt it, this place sounds old and abandoned, from what I’ve heard. Not the most ideal living conditions for a wizard. Although, it _is_ secluded, which _is_ an ideal living condition for wizard. Who knows? Still, I doubt it. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Well, let’s head off I guess. Hey Arundel,” The dragon, who had been napping when Ryou got back, raised his head, blinking his eyes lazily at Yugi. “We’re heading off to our next destination now. You coming?”

 _I will follow you as I have before, no need to worry. Where, pray tell, are we going?_ Arundel yawned, getting up to stretch his limbs.

“To an old wizard’s tower. Ryou wants to check it out.” Arundel looked at Yugi, confused for a moment.

 _Why are you going there? What could you hope to find?_ His eyes were trained on Ryou, even though the boy couldn’t understand the dragon’s words.

“Dunno, guess we’ll find out, right Ryou?”

“Sure, I guess? This conversation is very one sided to me, Yugi, considering I can’t hear the other side of it,” Ryou said as he placed the book he had been holding away, his hands resting on his hips. “Let’s go, it might take us a day or two to reach it.”

* * *

 

As it turned out, it took them a day and a half’s worth of traveling on foot to reach the valley. Yugi suspected it would have taken more if he had continued to run on little to no sleep, but Ryou had cast some spell that he had gotten from a book in Lindolf, and it seemed to be keeping his nightmares at bay. Even though his sleep was still fitful, Yugi was glad that he didn’t have to dream about such horrible things anymore.

Sure enough, at the bottom of the valley was a tower standing out down the sloping sides of the basin. Even from here Yugi could tell it looked worn and ancient, it had seen better days for sure.

“So, how do you propose we get down there?” Yugi peered off the ledge they were standing on. The sides of the valley seemed quite steep, and Yugi didn’t really want to risked falling down them, especially since the valley was particularly deep. He turned back to Ryou to see the boy mulling it over, glancing over the edge every now and then.

“I don’t really know. I honestly wasn’t expecting the valley to be this steep, not to mention this deep. The wizard mustn’t have had any problems with people trying to kick them out, though.” He joked, shaking his head in defeat. Yugi opened his mouth to say something when Arundel spoke up instead from behind them.

_I could, you know, fly you over._

“Oh, yeah, how silly of me! Ryou, Arundel can fly us over, problem solved!” Yugi laughed. Ryou looked sceptically at the dragon, a frown on his face.

“I… guess…” He forced out.

“I know you don’t like flying, but it’s our best bet. Besides, it could take us days to find a safe way down there, and there might not even be one. This way, Arundel can drop us off right in front of the tower.”

 _I can do better than that, I can drop you at the balcony on the tower’s top rim._ Arundel said, motioning with his head towards the pillar. Yugi followed his gaze, squinting his eyes to try and get a better look at the far off shape. He could see the makings of a frame travelling along the outside of the tower’s top most part. There _was_ a balcony up there! _Dragons must have incredible eye sight_ , Yugi mused. Ryou, however, with his human eyesight, couldn’t make out the balcony, squinting his eyes.

“What are you both looking at?” He asked, confused.

“There’s a balcony in the top section of the tower. Arundel said he can fly us up to it.” Yugi explained.

“Well, that would make it a lot easier. The tops of these old towers usually hold the study rooms, which is probably the place we’ll want to go.” Ryou seemed to be tossing the idea around, not one hundred percent set on the idea of flying over.

“Come on Ryou, I know you don’t want to, but Arundel will be gentle, right?” Yugi looked to the dragon for support, and he nodded.

_Of course. Flying is mostly smooth anyway, I don’t see why he is so scared of it. It will take no time at all to swoop down this valley._

“There, you see? All good.” Yugi nodded to himself as much to Ryou.

“Yugi, you know I can’t hear what your dragon is saying, but alright, let’s just… Get it over and done with.” He sighed, running a hand through his unruly mop of snowy hair.

_Very well then. You might want to both climb onto my back for this. I don’t think that balcony will hold my weight, however. I can get you close enough to the ledge for you to jump._

Yugi nodded in acknowledgement, and he hopped onto Arundel’s back, using his back spikes to holster himself up.

“Coming, Ryou?” Yugi grinned.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” Ryou grumbled. He face looked paler than usual, and Yugi hoped he wouldn’t throw up over him during the flight. He held out his hand, and Ryou grabbed it, pulling himself up to sit behind Yugi on Arundel’s back. The dragon rose from his sitting position, spreading his wings out to face the valley and the tower. Without warning, he beat them against the ground, increasing in speed as he slowly lifted off the surface. Yugi watched as the grass on the ledge slowly grew smaller, and then disappear altogether as Arundel swooped over the rim of the gorge. Tight hands reached around to grasp his tunic, the shrill pitch of Ryou screaming vibrating in Yugi’s ear a little too loudly for his liking. Ryou could give a banshee a run for its money with the octave he was reaching.

The world spun below as Arundel glided down the side of the valley, the textures of the rocky ledges lost in the swiftness of the dragon’s movements. Yugi felt his breath swirl past him as he exhaled, the thrill of the exhilarating speed sparking his adrenaline, feeding into his sense into an overdrive of emotion and feeling. And damn did it feel _good_. Yugi could only imagine what soaring amoung the clouds felt like, to be able to touch the billowy puffs high above, to be able to gaze down on the land as if even the tallest mountain was a mere house below him. _Dragons must feel so powerful, to be able to experience this with a flick of their wings_ , Yugi found himself admiring a whole new aspect of the dragon’s life, and Arundel flicked a knowing emerald gaze in his direction.

 _Indeed, young one._ He said, amused by Yugi’s reaction, no doubt.

As Arundel reached the base of the ravine, he started to beat his wings against the ground, gaining air. By the time they were in close proximity to the tower, Arundel had reached the top quarters of the building.

Once they were close enough to make the leap, Yugi jumped off Arundel’s back, landing on the balcony of the tower with ease. He turned back to see Ryou looking over hesitantly, yet to make the jump. Yugi motioned for him to leap, as he could see Arundel was beginning to struggle with hovering so close to the ledge.

“Come on, Ryou! Jump!” Yugi shouted over the loud _whomp_ of the wingbeats. The other boy seemed to be having an internal battle with himself, his face twitching into various degrees of facial recognition. Now is not the time to be discovering you have a crippling fear of flying, Yugi watched as his breath caught at the realisation. If he didn’t do something soon, Ryou might end up falling off Arundel’s back.

“Arundel! Throw Ryou at me!” Yugi screamed at the dragon, who did not hesitate in the task given to him. He tucked his wings in, doing a kind of half roll to adjust from flying stomach down to turning belly up. During the change, he swiped a clawed hand at Ryou, who had begun to fall off Arundel’s back due to it suddenly disappearing beneath him. Using the soft, pad like parts of his palm, avoiding the sharp appendages at the ends, Arundel lugged Ryou’s body through the air, flinging him forward to land with a crash on top of Yugi’s outstretched hands. Yugi felt the body collided with him, and he instinctively wrapped his hands around Ryou in an effort to cushion the other boy’s fall. Yugi wasn’t deemed so lucky, however, as he felt his back smack into the rough texture of the stone flooring, the gravel grinding against his leathers. _That’s going to leave a mark_ , Yugi thought grimly and he gritted his teeth against the jolting sensation that soon followed the impact.

“Oh, _bugger_ me!” Ryou exclaimed, throwing his hands up in a defeated wail. “That was _horrible!_ I never want to ride on a bloody dragon ever again!” Yugi tried to quip some clever sarcastic remark back at him, but found all he could do was weakly cough as his lungs were being compressed by the other boy’s body currently kneeling into his abdomen. The mage looked down, seemingly haven realised his legs were resting on something soft and squishy. His eyes lit up in recognition, and Yugi found he could suddenly breathe a lot clearer as the boy moved off him.

“Oh, sorry Yugi! Are you alright?” Ryou asked with some level of concern. Yugi waved him off, opting to use his energy to instead stand up. He looked over the side of the balcony to see Arundel had glided down to the bottom of the ravine, no doubt tired from that little adventure. Yugi waved down at him, and the dragon flicked his tail in acknowledgement. Satisfied that the dragon knew they were safe, Yugi turned back to his travelling companion to find Ryou had already wandered off through the balcony doors Yugi had just realised were there. He elected to follow the white-haired boy, sliding through the opening and stepping inside.

“Well, it’s certainly spacious.” Yugi remarked sarcastically as he took in the view of the tower’s inside. It was really anything but. The floor was littered with books, the pages from a few throw haphazardly around like confetti. A deck of tarot cards was buried amongst the parchments, and Yugi bent to pick the closest one up. The card depicted an old man covered in robes carrying a swaying lantern above his head. _The Hermit,_ it read on the lower half of the card. _How fitting_ , Yugi mused. The wizard that used to live here was probably the closest thing to a hermit you could ever find. Most wizards tended to lock themselves away in obscure locations such as this to hone their power. Others found that by appeasing a King, they could find themselves in a seat of power in a royal court. Yugi often wondered if the royals who took on wizards to be court magicians knew of their true potential. It was common knowledge amongst magic folk that wizards were the most powerful of magical beings, but humans tended to be out of the loop on these kind of things, unless they were mages or magicians, like Ryou was.  

“This place is incredible!” Ryou said in awe, his eyes wide as he took in all of the details. He was moving through the study room, examining all of the finer parts and picking some books up to read the titles. Yugi just walked around leisurely, not really that interested, although he did flick through some pages to stare at the artworks. It was then that his eyes landed on something that did catch his interest. The book he had been turning through lazily had shown illustrations of various different mythical beasts, and while they did seem interesting, it was nothing compared to the artwork of the dragon on the page he was currently on. The great beast was twirling across the page, a jet of fire erupting from its mouth into the sky, its wings covering the greater expanse of the page. Yugi found the piece mesmerising as he brushed over the line art of the dragon, his eyes flicking over the words on the other page. ‘ _The Great Wyrms,_ ’ it read, written by an old name that sounded heavily elfish to Yugi, and as his eyes traced over the text he discovered what it was this ancient elf- for the book appeared very, _very_ old- was discussing.

The script talked about legendary dragons that existed years before humans inhabited the land, when only humanoids of magic existed. Great and mighty beasts so powerful that none could oppose them. They were the rulers of the land, and the greatest of the wyrms were referred to as ‘kings.’ These kings held sway over different sections of the province, one was ruler of the western mountains, another ruled the plains of the south, while another staked claim to the ocean in the Far East. Every area was governed by a Great Wyrm, and it was said to be a peaceful time for most of the races that could co-exist with the dragons. That is, until humans arrived. At first, the humans tried to integrate into the world the dragons had created, and the dragons and other humanoid races allowed them, so long as the one rule the dragon’s demanded of the humans was never broken; ‘No Human nor Dragon can commit the act of murder against each other.’ It was a means to stop any kind of conflict from erupting between the two species, as both were prone to war (Yugi had to flick back a few chapters to work out what the author meant by this, and worked out that the dragons had initially had a civil war that had ended with the Great Wyrms rise to power).

Naturally, two species with aggressive tendencies were bound to clash eventually, and so it was after one faithful event where a human caused the death of a dragon that a great and terrible war erupted between the two. The land became drenched in blood as the two fought, and many other races and species were caught in the crossfire. It eventually ended with a treaty being signed amid the remaining Great Wyrms (as some had perished in the battles) and appointed leaders of the humans- who would later form the basis of the royal bloodlines. The treaty detailed that both species were to extract the larger number of their forces from the land, expelling the majority of dragons and humans from the provinces to allow the other species to flourish more, as they had suffered in the fighting as well. Only a handful of dragons remained under each leader, and the human numbers dwindled as well. They were to each start their populations again, as far away from each other as they could manage, so as to prevent another clash of territories.

The humans took to the south and east, as the Great Wyrms that had previously ruled there were no more. The lingering dragons retreated to the mountainous west and north under the leadership of the remaining Wyrms. There was said to never be another war between the species after this one, for the generations to come would recite what had happened, and history would never forget of it.

Yugi just stared at the page for a moment, letting the information soak in. As it said, he had heard of the great dragon-human war, but it happened so, so long ago that most days it was taught in a simplified version that spoke of how species should never engage in war, else they be wiped out by one another- or in the case of the dragons, if this author was to be believed, almost wiped out by a civil war years before.

A sudden movement flickered over Yugi’s vision and a hand came to slam the book he has been reading close.

“Hey…!” Yugi flinched, a hand against his heart as he breathed out the shock of the movement.

“You weren’t even listening were you?” Ryou frowned at him, his brows creased and his mouth pouting. Yugi eyed him wearily, shuffling out of the way slightly as he glanced down at the closed book. He wanted to keep reading that.

“Uh, no sorry, you say something?” Yugi gave him an apologetic smile, to which Ryou shook his head, hands tossed in the air.

“Yeah, I did. _Ahem_. As I was _saying_ , I think I found what I was looking for, so we can probably go now, that is, if you weren’t too busy.” Yugi would have said something back at the snide remark, but he was too interested in what Ryou had found to care too much.

“Oooo what did you find? Show us! Is it the infamous quest book?” Yugi said jokingly. Ryou gave him a mock glare, but the smile on his face gave away his true emotion.

“Actually no, not that one. However, I did find a very interesting book! It predates the others I have found so far, so it may contain a clue to what I’m searching for.” Ryou’s face lit up as he talked, pulling a massive leather tome out of his bag to show Yugi.

“Ahh I see. A book to find a book, ey? Sounds like fun.” Yugi teased, glancing over the worn surface to make out the title. ‘ _Memoirs of a Wizard,_ ’ it read in letters that dipped into the exterior of the leather cover. _A wizard’s book to find a wizard’s book… Only Ryou would find that interesting_ , Yugi thought to himself, mentally amused at the idea. Ryou had put the book back away, muttering something about keeping it safe from the elements before striding outside, Yugi following, but not before he grabbed the book he had been reading- he wanted to continue it, and it wasn’t as if any wizard was going to miss it, if the state of the tower was to be believed.

Once he had gotten the attention of Arundel in the valley below, Yugi turned to Ryou who was trying his best to ignore the fact that he had to fly on the dragon’s back again. “So where are we off to now Ryou?” The white-haired boy stared at Yugi for a moment, trying to consider his options while the steady wingbeats of Arundel could be hear.

“Uhh, Dunstan. It’s the closest city for restocking, and I have a friend from the Mages’ College there that might have something I need for this book.”

Yugi nodded his understanding as Arundel swooped over the balcony, coming to an idle hover next to it, and Yugi leaped onto the dragons back with ease, turning back to stretch a hand out to Ryou.

“All aboard the five star flight, Mister White Mage Ryou. Next stop, Dunstan!” He grinned as his friend groaned.

* * *

 

Dunstan was a city of humble boasting and modest living. The city got by from a variety of trades and commodities its inhabitants thrived on making; namely, the trading of silver. While it wasn’t as rewarding and wealthy as gold, silver was still considered a highly sought after material. It was the next step down from gold, and provided those just shy of the funds required to exhibit such wealth the chance to still be clad in fine jewellery. Smiths and jewellers in the artisans district (which made up a large portion of the city from what Yugi could tell) everywhere were busy sweating away in forges bursting with metals, or examining gemstones to determine their prosperity in the market.

The inner city districts were reserved for the wealthiest of the citizens, and Yugi could only glimpse at their boasting houses, rooftops painted in the most exquisite colours. He didn’t have long to dwell on the fleeting glance at posh life as he soon found himself weaving through the last few metres of road to reach the section where houses filtered out into country roads and tree lines to the forest paths beyond.

Yugi went to continue along the path, thinking about what Arundel was doing. The dragon always flew off before they hit a settlement, so as not to raise the alarm or frighten off villages or city folk. He briefly wondered what it was the dragon did while he waited for Yugi and Ryou to leave the towns and cities they passed.

He looked up, noticing that Ryou was no longer in front of him, and had stopped in front of the stables they had passed a few metres back. Yugi doubled back to make his way to Ryou’s side. The boy appeared to be admiring one of the horses currently sticking its head out of the stall. The animal neighed softly into Ryou’s hands as the boy stroked along the arch of its back.

“Ryou, what are you doing?” Yugi asked suspiciously. The other boy blinked at him, giving him a definite nod before saying, “Yugi, I want a horse.”

“A horse? What for?” Yugi blurted out, surprised.

“Well, you see, you have a dragon that you seem to enjoy riding on. Meanwhile I’m forced to labour around on my own two feet. It’s just not healthy for a mage like myself. So you see, if I had a horse, I wouldn’t have to worry about walking around so much. Plus, I would look very good riding atop one, I should think.”

Yugi had to supress a snicker at the image of Ryou sitting smugly atop a horse majestically swinging its head in the wind. In his mind, the horse had a coat of pure white, and looked as soft as snow, akin to the hair the mage maintained proudly.

“I don’t think either of our occupations leave enough spare change to buy a horse, Ryou.” Yugi looked doubtful. What he said was only half true. He knew he would never be able to buy a horse with his merger earnings, but Ryou was a mage, not to mention a _white_ mage, and white mages tended to be paid quite well for their services in the restoration field.

The other boy feinted amusement for a moment, pretending to ponder his options, before turning to Yugi with a smile.

“Alright, I guess you’re right. It would be hard for me to maintain one anyway. Plus I’d have to pay a fee to rest it in the stables in every city I stopped in.” Ryou reasoned, the excuses helping him turn away from the decision, giving the horse one final affectionate pat on the face.

“Dunstan is the last major city before we have to turn off west, off the main travelling roads. This is the last stop before Rohesia. We need to resupply here before heading off, that is, if you still want to come.” Ryou added, arching an eyebrow in Yugi’s direction in question. Yugi just huffed, rolling his eyes. It seemed to be his main form of rebuttal these days.

“Ryou, of course I still want to come, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He joked light heartedly. He wasn’t about to let Ryou slip away again. Not yet, at least. He wasn’t ready to be alone again, despite the brave face and apparent fondness for solo travel he put on.

“Well alright then. I have some business to take care of regarding this book; a librarian here might be interested in seeing it. Then I can hit up the markets. Would you be good to wait out here? I mean, Dunstan is known to get quite rowdy at times in the inner sections. And… you know… I don’t want you to worry about… you know.” Ryou gave an off handed gesture towards his ears, and Yugi instinctively felt his hands cup his own, even though they were safely hidden away by his golden bangs.

“Yeah… It’s… It’s probably for the best.” Yugi could feel the dejection thick in his own voice, and Ryou must of as well (or it was something in his face that gave it away) for the boy said, “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry, that was poorly worded on my front. I just don’t want you getting hurt again.”

Yugi glanced over at his long-time friend, and found himself placing a hand over Ryou’s shoulder.

“It’s ok, Ryou. I understand.” He smiled, and that seemed to improve the other boy’s mood more as well.

“Why don’t you do the restocking, then? There’s a market down the road here, and it’s far enough away from the posh sections of town that you really shouldn’t have any trouble.”

Yugi nodded in agreement, and Ryou wandered off out of sight to take care of his book business. Suddenly finding himself alone next to a horse, Yugi turned to the beast to see it staring at him with big, warm eyes.

“I don’t suppose you know the answer to world peace, huh?” He asked rhetorically. He certainly wasn’t expecting the horse to voice a response, and although it would sound like a _neigh_ to anyone else, the beast taming magic that coursed through Yugi’s being allowed him to understand the animal’s speech.

_Can’t say I do, human._

“I’m not really human, you know, only half of one.” Yugi replied sullenly.

_How can you only be half human? Wouldn’t you only be one half of your body then? Are you just a torso? Are your legs fake then?_

“Oh my gosh, no! I’m half elf, half human.” Yugi brought his voice to a whisper, aware that if people had overheard him, explaining why he was talking to a horse would be the least of his concerns.

_Does that make your torso human and your legs elf?_

“Where are you getting all these crazy ideas from? Oh, right, I forgot I was talking to a horse for a second. I don’t understand you.” Yugi audibly groaned, the tiniest markings of a headache beginning to flush against his forehead.

_Well I don’t understand you human._

“Stop calling me human.”

_But you are human._

“Only half!”

_Still makes you human._

Yugi could hear the apparent smugness in the horse’s voice. He couldn’t believe he was being toyed with by someone’s steed. The beast was smarter than whoever was riding it, probably.

“Don’t you have an owner to be annoying instead?” Yugi asked, following his train of thought.

_Didn’t you listen to your friend before? We’re for sale, which means I don’t have an owner._

“Doesn’t that mean you’re owned by the person selling you, then?”

_No more than you are owned by this ridiculous notion you have that your elf blood makes you superior to humans._

The horse’s words were like a slap to Yugi’s face, and he had to refrain from touching his cheek out of instinct. There wasn’t a wound there, but the action still hurt. _How did it…?_

“I… I do _not_ think that!” Yugi barked, a bubbling rage sparking across his expression before he toned it down. It wouldn’t do him any good to get angry at the horse, especially with no real alibi should anyone overheard him and come wondering.

 _But you do. You have a superior complex, you’re just too stubborn to admit it._ The horse replied, and Yugi detected smugness in its voice.

“I do not have a superior complex!”

_You might not outright think it, but it’s clear in the small things you do. The way your face moves when someone speaks to you, the usually guarded hidden layer of resentment your voice holds. The older humans may have lost their ability to see it and therefore don’t realise, but children and animals can tell you harbour ill will towards the race._

“Are you saying that I’m racist?” Yugi narrowed his eyes, not liking what the equine was suggesting at all.

_You are the same as those you claim to hate, really. I don’t see a difference between a human’s contempt towards an elf and your behaviour around other humans. You even act like that around your so called friend from before, albeit a bit more subdued. The nice white-haired boy._

“ _Ryou?_ ” Yugi asked in disbelief. “He’s my best friend! I would never treat him like… like…” But even as the words came out, a sort of dull realisation began to descend on Yugi’s mind. He was starting to see the truth in the horse’s words, even though he didn’t want to.

 _Like a human?_ Yugi snapped his focus back to the horse, his brow creasing in frustration. When he didn’t comment, the horse continued, watching Yugi’s reaction carefully with his next words.

_The way I sense it, you want everyone to believe that you hate your elf heritage, that you want nothing more than to embrace your human side, when it couldn’t be further than the truth. The truth is, you actually loathe your human side, and want nothing more than to discard it to become full elf._

“That’s… That’s not true! I accept that I’m a half breed. I don’t hate my mother, I loved her, even when… she wasn’t there most of the time.” Yugi trailed off, memories he had long since buried clawing to the surface of his mind. A time when thick metal had weighted him down and cruel men beat him for no other reason than he _existed_.

_That may be so, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t loathe the fact that she was human, and by extension, so was a part of you._

“I…” Yugi was lost, struggling to remain in the conversation with the horse while fighting back the torrent of emotions that had come forward with his resurfaced memories. Suddenly Yugi’s mind was gripped with a scene, so vivid and realistic Yugi almost forgot it had happened ten years ago.

**_The image of a boy curled against the abyss of a darkened room, not a single light to illuminate him as he fought back against the cold seeping into his body from the shadows. His pleas for help were silent, wrought out of his vocals from days of punishment for speaking out of turn. He tried to dissolve into that wall, hoping that the cold stone bricks would part for him so that he could disappear from this hell hole, this nightmare that he could never seem to wake from. It had been different before, the light and joy of life had caressed him and made him feel warm and loved. But after too long, the light had faded, and Yugi was trapped in this prison of cold darkness and he was going to die and no one would care or even notice and—_ **

_HUMAN BOY._ Yugi frowned, his thoughts stopping in a lazy haze. That didn’t sound right, he didn’t remember anyone ever shouting that to him during his time in—

_Snap out of it!_

A sudden violent tug on Yugi’s head snapped his attention back to the very irritated face of a horse neighing at him and pulling on his hair with its mouth. Wait, with its mouth?!

“Eww gross, stop it!” Yugi battered the horse’s head away from where it had been chewing on his hair, smoothing the disgustingly wet strands back against his head. He wasn’t going to risk the same mistake he had made back in that inn with the alcohol. After checking that his ears were safety hidden from sight, he turned a glare towards the horse, who was watching him with unreadable brown irises.

“What happened…?” Yugi blinked.

_You blanked out for a while, your eyes were all glazed over, looking but not seeing. Are you alright?_

“As alright as having a flash back crisis can be.” Yugi answered spitefully, his mind still racing. He was dimly aware of the passage of time, the sun’s rays no longer beating down in all their heat at his face. Instead, it was now flushing heat on his cape and neck. It was already past noon.

“How long was I out…?”

_About half an hour._

“What?!” Yugi was shocked, not expecting to have lost so much time. He could have sworn he was only out for a few minutes…

He suddenly realised that he hadn’t made a plan as to when and where to meet back up with Ryou. He swung his head around, searching for Ryou’s untamed mop of snow-white hair.

 _Your friend hasn’t returned yet._ The horse commented.

“Looks that way. I’m not even sure where we’re supposed to be meeting up.” Yugi confided. The horse bobbed its head in understanding, but said nothing more. After a stretch of painfully long silence, Yugi couldn’t take it anymore, throwing his hands up in exaggerated frustration.

“Well, say something! You sure were vocal half an hour ago!”

 _What can I say that I haven’t already told you? You’re realised what you need to think about. The next step only you can do._ The horse’s strangely prophetic words creased Yugi’s already furrowed brow even more. Was it talking about Yugi’s superiority complex that it seemed to believe (and Yugi still strongly disagreed) he had?

“There you are Yugi! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” A voice shouted out, and Yugi sighed in relief as he turned to watch Ryou make his way toward him.

“Where have you been?” The white-haired boy asked when he was within arm’s length of Yugi. He looked between the tamer and the horse, who was nickering softly at Yugi.

“Uh, nowhere, really. I mean, I’ve been standing here since you left.” Yugi admitted sheepishly.

“Here? So you didn’t get the supplies?” Ryou looked surprised, and Yugi knew why. He was the kind of person who would rush off to make sure everything was done properly. The fact that he hadn’t moved, nor gone to the market to do the resupplying would be enough to shock, and even possibly worry Ryou. Ryou was definitely worried, as his face changed from shock to a gradual confused apprehension.

“Hey, you alright? Something happen?”

“Not really, sorry for worrying you, I just… Kind of got wrapped up in a conversation…” Yugi made eye contact with the horse, who watched him back with a blank expression. Yugi wondered if the horse could even show expression, really. Most of the expression he had felt from the horse had come through its voice. **_I don’t see a difference between a human’s contempt towards an elf and your behaviour around other humans_** _._ Its words suddenly came back to Yugi, and he made a conscious effort to change his stance, wondering if what the animal had said was true.

“What, with the horse?” Ryou said jokingly with a snicker, before he stopped suddenly, stifling his laughter as he stared at Yugi and then to the horse, and then back to Yugi. “Wait, you’re serious? You mean you spent all morning talking to a horse?”

“Maybe…?” Yugi shrugged with a smile. “I’m not actually sure. I think I blacked out for a moment. But I’m fine now!” Yugi added quickly, seeing Ryou’s sceptical face change to one of worry at his last words. The white-haired boy looked like he desperately wanted to give Yugi a lecture of some kind, but instead he soften his facial features into a smile, turning around and beckoning Yugi to follow.

“Come on then, we can both take care of the supplies over at the marketplace.” Ryou suggested, and Yugi turned to follow, before a voice stopped him.

_Remember our conversation, beast tamer._

“I know… I will think over what you said. Thank you.” Yugi said, nuzzling a hand through the horse’s mane, earning him a nicker. He then took off after Ryou, following the pace he set when he caught up to the white-haired boy. _I never thought I’d have an in depth discussion about my life with a horse,_ Yugi mused.

It didn’t take them long to reach the beginnings of the marketplace stalls. The crowds from the morning had died down, dwindling to a meagre amount of customers trailing along past the stores. Ryou walked straight past all of the crafting and weaponry stalls, Yugi following, although he did glance over the wares on the way past, a faint interest pulling his eyes to various different shimmering metallic objects. The other boy stopped when he reached the produce section, a continuous stretch of fruit and meat stalls with people standing in front of them, advertising the ripeness of their fruit and the tenderness of their meat. Ryou began to press forward through the stores, searching for the best kinds of deals on the supplies they needed while Yugi hung back, pausing every now and then to get a closer look at something that caught his eye.

The sudden sound of loud protesting brought Yugi’s attention to a side stall, where a woman seemed to be arguing with a storekeeper. Glancing back at Ryou, who was busily engaged in a conversation about the rare commodity of mangos, Yugi slipped away, moving to lean against a doorframe close by the arguing duo. They had yet to realise his presence, Yugi noted as he watched the scene before him.

“-And I’m telling you that you’re wrong! I did not steal your goods!” The young lady threw her hands up with an accusing wave of her finger. “I paid fairly for them.” The lady’s voice was thick with an accent that Yugi thought was familiar, but couldn’t place. The salesperson glowered at her, his hands coming to rest on his hips in a disbelieving manner.

“I highly doubt that missy. I saw you take that right off the shelf!” The man spat out more than he said, and Yugi cringed at the array of spit that assaulted the girl’s face. He would not have been happy if that was him getting yelled at. She seemed to have a similar reaction, as she flicked a hand across her face, shaking the saliva off with obvious disgust.

“As I have said before, I _paid_ for them. If you were watching me so suspiciously, then you would have _seen_ me hand over the coins. Your accusations are unjust. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” The woman made a move to turn away, but the man’s arm shot out, yanking her back in front of him.

”Don’t play coy with me, elf! Your kind is always untrustworthy, sneaking around and stealing things. It’s unnatural!”

 _An_ _elf?_ Yugi’s interest piked at the man’s revelation, and he found himself pushing off from the wooden door to lean in, waiting with hitched breath to see if the woman would confirm it. She simply stared at him, snatching her arm away from his grasp.

“I. Paid. For. It. How you choose to interpret this information is your own business, but I am leaving.” She said through clenched teeth. Yugi could see that the man was far from letting the elf-lady go, so he stepped forward, making his presence known to the both of them.

“I don’t see the problem here, _sir_ ,” Yugi stressed the word out, watching as the man’s face screwed up in reaction. “She paid for the item, and from what I can see, it’s not even from your store, what business is it of yours?” It was true, since the man was wearing a blacksmith’s apron over his clothes. Yugi highly doubted that any blacksmith worth his trade would be selling fruit.

“What’s it to you, kid? Scram!” The man flared up at Yugi, which wasn’t hard to do due to his small stature. Yugi rolled his eyes, sneaking a look over at the elf-lady past the man. She exchanged a knowing look with Yugi, nodding at him, to which Yugi returned the gesture. He had a feeling she really was an elf, and that she knew he was too. Well, _part_ one, at least.

Yugi pulled out his coin wallet from inside a concealed pocket in his tunic, fishing out some copper coins and tossing them in the man’s face.

“This should be enough to cover what she already paid for, and now there’s a witness to see her pay for it. I’d say this is all wrapped up now, isn’t it _sir?”_

The man eyed Yugi wearily, but must have decided it wasn’t worth it as he snatched the coins up, pocketing them before giving them one last glare, and turning away to trudge off through the stalls. Yugi watched him leave before withdrawing his coin purse back into the folds of his clothes.

“Thank you for the help. That man was being quite stubborn about something that wasn’t worth the effort.” The elf-lady gave Yugi a half-bow, to which Yugi simply nodded in response.

“Yeah, humans can be a huge pain like that.”

The elf-lady’s gaze rested on Yugi, her head shaking lightly. “Not all humans are. Most of the ones I’ve encountered have been fine. The actions of one man do not account for the whole race.”

“I… Guess so.” Yugi said hesitantly, his mind flashing to this morning, next to the stables, a certain smug horse’s words sounding ringing something similar in his ears. _Stupid horses and their philosophy lectures._ He shook it away, and noticed the elf-lady was staring at him, her head tilted in examination.

“You are a half-breed.” She stated simple, and Yugi flinched visible at the name.

“Y-Yeah, I am.” He felt the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to bristle in self-defence. He didn’t like it when people discovered his treacherous secret, even if they were elves, in fact even more so, as they were more likely to scorn his lack of pure blood.

“You look like you were trying to hide that fact. My apologies for stirring up unwanted attention to a sore subject,” She gave him a half bow, and Yugi nodded in response. “However,” and Yugi turned back to her in surprise as she continued, “You really shouldn’t be so disapproving of your two blood types. Some of the greatest names in history were of half-blood.”

“Really? I’ve never heard of any…” Yugi muttered, only half convinced. The elf-lady seemed to hesitate with her next words, choosing carefully.

“It’s not that well know. Most of them have been wiped from the record books, or have covered up their heritage to appear full blooded to one race. Some caused great disasters to befall this land, and were punished by having their names taken from them, while others went on to rule cities and even the capital.” She explained cautiously.

“Like who? How would you know about this anyway, if the names are gone or hidden?” Yugi asked suspiciously.

“Most of the world’s history is known to the elves, especially the wood dwelling tribes of the west, who specialise in such things. As for how I know, I was… Present for one of these events, years ago. It has taken many years to cover up such destruction…” Her voice trailed off, and Yugi had the feeling he wasn’t supposed to hear some of what she said. But it only served to heighten his curiosity over the matter. It sounded like some great big mystery waiting to be solved, a puzzle of some kind, and he was just one step away from discovering the playing field.

“So what happened at this event?”

 I cannot say.”

“Why not? I promise I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“It’s not that, young one, it’s more that… It’s taboo to mention the name of one who has been sealed. Their heart lies in darkness, and the mere fleeting thought of their name is forbidden. Those who saw the disaster occur years ago were sworn in the old tongue to never again speak the name of the accursed. You know how serious such a vow is, I’m sure.”

Yugi frowned, taking the information in, and the way the elf-lady seemed visibly twitchy from relaying it. Whatever had happened that this elf had seen years ago must have been a big deal, and yet no record to Yugi’s knowledge showed anything. It was like she said; these events were wiped from history. _Maybe Ryou knows something, he’s always picking at old ancient artefacts and what not._ Making the decision to ask Ryou later, Yugi turned back to the elf-lady, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, it’s okay. Sorry I asked, I won’t trouble you with it again.” He smiled, gaining a similar reaction back from the lady as they both stood up, neither truly recalling having crouched down. Yugi scanned to his side when he heard feet tapping against the ground, and to his momentary surprise and shock, Ryou was standing there. The boy had a glare plastered across his face, and Yugi could tell he was most likely in for a lecture later.

“Er, hey Ryou… Shopping went well, I see.” Yugi gingerly scratched at his cheek, noting the bulky looking bag slung over the white-haired boy’s shoulder, no doubt their supplies for the trip to Rohesia.

“Don’t you ‘hey Ryou’ me, mister,” Ryou glanced at the elf-lady briefly before levelling his glare on Yugi once more. “If you didn’t want to get the supplies you should have just bloody told me so, instead of going off to chat up ladies.” Yugi felt his face flush hot with blood as a blush covered his cheeks, and he looked away, noticing the elf-lady’s face held no expression as she gazed at Yugi’s friend. Is _that_ what Ryou thought he was doing?! He couldn’t be further from the truth! 

“Listen Ryou, you’re got it all wrong! She was getting ripped off by some sleazy sales merchant and I was just helping!”

Ryou opened his mouth to argue a point back, but found that the elf-lady beat him to it.

“He’s telling the truth. Besides, judging by your human years you’re both children compared to me,” She smiled, turning away from Ryou’s shocked, blinking face to nestle a hand through Yugi’s wild hair, much to his annoyance. “Take care young half-breed. It is in your best interest and safety to forget all you saw and heard today.” Yugi was about to protest, but decided against it, closing his mouth into a pout instead as the elf-lady walked away and was soon out of sight.

“How strange,” Ryou frowned, his brows knitting together, suspicious heavy in his eyes. “She called you ‘half-breed,’ does she--“

“Yeah, she knows. She’s an elf.” Yugi interrupted, not really wanting to discuss his lineage _again_ for the third time today. He kicked over a small stone that he had been staring holes into, scuffling his feet along the dirt in deep thought.

“Well, that’s interesting. Should we get going then?”

Yugi nodded in agreement, and the two set off, making their way out of the marketplace and to the outskirts. As they headed into the surrounding forest, Yugi took one look back at the city of Dunstan. He had a strange feeling that he wouldn’t be passing through this way in a while, and the events that had occurred here would refused to release their grip on his memory for days to come.

* * *

 

It was noon three days from when they had set off from Dunstan when the two boys reached Rohesia. Arundel had once again taken off to some location close by but not enough to chance being seen by anyone. The city stood proudly on its own, green fields of agriculture circling it for miles around. The wisps of tree tops could be seen in the far off distance to the west, with the peaks of great mountains present even further beyond. To the east was a lake, not too broad in width, but still fairly sizeable. To Yugi, it seemed shallow in comparison to the expansive city right at its doorstep. It was hard to imagine what Rohesia had been like when it was first founded, just a couple of mild houses against a massive lake. Now, it outshone the body of water greatly.

The city itself seemed quite ordinary as far as civilisation landmarks go, Yugi could see how people usually glanced over the city. It also didn’t help that it was located off the main roadways; to reach Rohesia, you had to go off to the west, away from the trickle of villages that usually littered the way to a grand city. Yugi was sure that there must be something in the city to make it worth the travel, but from their current position on the far lying farming fields, it just looked like any other city.

They made their way past the fields and through the first layer of residential houses. The inner city was surrounded by a thick brick wall while the rest of the city districts- the business, the marketplaces, and the housing- rested outside the city walls. Being at the peak of daytime, the streets were bustling with people running left right and center, people sounding out advertisements for various products while others strode through with the confidence of a person with heavy pockets jingling with coinage.

It was easy to get lost in city places like this, so Yugi made a conscious effort to remain by Ryou’s side, shadowing the other boy as he swerved through the traffic of Rohesian city life. Yugi knew that Ryou had grown up in a big city to the south, similar in size to Rohesia, so he found that the mage was more likely to be able to find his way around than Yugi, whose speciality was mapping mountains and forests. He never did understand the appeal of big city life; it was crowded and always busy, and you had trouble walking one step without having to fend off some angry passerbyer. And that was another thing, people in cities tended to be more prone to rage from having to deal with so many other humans in such a small space. If anything had confirmed Yugi’s suspicions, it was in Dunstan, with that overly aggressive shopkeeper.

Yugi suddenly collided with a mop of snow-white hair, muffling his protest inside the unruly mane.

“…And… Yugi, hey, what are you doing?” Ryou turned around in time to see Yugi spitting out white strands of hair into the dirt.

“Your hair finally tried to consume me, Ryou,” Yugi made a mocking face, clenching a hand over his tunic’s left side, above his heart. “I knew it was only a matter of time until I saw the white light. My world, flashing, before my eyes...”

“A little over dramatic, don’t you think?” Ryou rolled his eyes. “As I was _saying_ , I found a decent enough looking inn. Since neither of us knows all that much about Rohesia, I figured we should stay at a place that looks like they won’t try to stab us in our sleep. Because people do that.”

“Yeah makes sense. What kind of horrible name does this one go by?” Yugi cringed, already imagining all manner of horrible slurs that might be used in its naming. He glanced up tentatively to observe the wooden sign that hung over the inn door, just like any other inn would have. The drawing on this sign was of a two headed man draining a jug of beer to each of his heads, the words scrawled over the top reading, ‘ _The Twin Slammer._ ’

Yugi couldn’t hide his amusement, breaking out into a fit of cackling as he pointed at the sign. “ _The Twin Slammer_? Oh my gosh Ryou, are you _seeing_ this? I take that back, this inn’s name is _priceless_.” He choked out in between fits of laughter. Ryou had his lip upturned in a wiry smile, but he was doing a much better job of containing his laughter than Yugi was.

“Come on you dunce, let’s go see if we can grab a room. I know you probably don’t care, but I am aching for a proper bed.” And with that said Ryou disappeared through the door, Yugi following once he had his fit of glee under control.

The difference between this inn and the village ones was considerable, once you took into account just how big the common area in this one was. Even at midday, the inn was packed with people everywhere drinking and chatting loudly in groups. Yugi noticed Ryou was already making his way to the counter, and not wanting to be left alone in a room full of drunk and almost drunk people, he scurried after him, bumping into his back again in the process as they both stood at the bar waiting for someone to serve them. A plump rosy cheeked lady who seemed to be in her mid-twenties came over, glancing past the boys before doing a double take and stopping in front of them, her hands on her hips.

“Can a get you boys anything’?” She said sweetly. _Probably thinks she’s talking to some kids,_ Yugi thought bitterly at her too sweet voice.

“Hello there. Yes we’re looking for a room actually, do you have a spare?” Ryou questioned politely.

The lady screwed her face up in thought before shaking it sadly. “Sorry there sweetie, but we’re all booked out. It’sa busy season, and we’ve got no rooms available until a’ least a three weeks.”

“Oh, I see. Well thanks anyway,” Ryou looked crestfallen as his chance to get a warm, soft bed was smashed right in front of him. He went to walk away before his face lit up for a second and he turned back to the lady. “Would you happen to know of any other inns that might have spare rooms?”

“Well, I guess you could ask around the others in the business district, but I’ma fraid they’re all probably full as well,” At the lady’s response Ryou’s defeated look returned, his face practically reading ‘another night on a bed of sticks and stones.’ “But there is one place that I’m sure has spare rooms…”

Ryou’s head snapped up so fast Yugi was sure he would have whiplash from it, but if he did he didn’t notice as he spoke. “Another inn? Yes good, where is it?”

“A wouldn’t be going there, most folks steer clear, unless they’re looking for somethin’ special to wash down, you know?” Yugi and Ryou didn’t know, but nodded anyway to press her to continue. “It’sa in the less traveller part of town, down past the marketplace and off to the side. It’sa almost hidden with how well it stands against the castle walls. Adds to the whole strange vibe that comes from there. I mean, no one really goes there, it’s mostly a forgotten inn, am be surprised if it’s still running, really.” And with that said the lady tottered off to attend to some other customer.

Ryou exchanged a glance with Yugi before Yugi raised a hand to interrupt what he knew the boy was going to say. “Alright, alright, don’t give me that face, we’ll go. Far be it from mysterious warning from the locals to stop you trying to get a bed to sleep in for a night.”

“Oh Yugi, I’m hurt.” Ryou grasped his linen mage robes, his hand resting on his heart. Yugi just rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his gloved fingers. The noise from the inn was starting to strain his hearing. If what the lady said about the other place was true, maybe he would be able to get some peace and quiet over there. He didn’t want to admit it, but the three days on the road here, on top of the time it took to reach Dunstan beforehand had worn him out. On top of the lack of sleep he still wasn’t getting (although Ryou’s spell still helped ease some of the pain, and the nightmares were being held at bay by the mage’s magic) and the constant travelling around, it was getting to be too much. Maybe spending some time staying still for a while was what he needed.

“Let’s go, this place is starting to make me feel faint.” Yugi said, and he wasn’t lying, he could feel himself beginning to sway from the excess heat and alcoholic toxins in the air. Ryou must have noticed, because he gently pulled Yugi by his arm back through the crowd of people and out into the afternoon breeze.

“That lady said that the inn was somewhere past the business district right? That means… I think that was the left side of the city. Shouldn’t be too hard to find if people shun the place, am I right?”

Yugi tilted his head and squinted his eyes in a scathing look, and Ryou threw up his hands in defence. “Alright, not a good joke, I got it. But really, you’re a beast tamer with a dragon on call and I’m a white mage, I think we can take anything weird the innkeeper tries to throw at us.” Ryou winked at him, and Yugi felt his face soften. “Hard to argue with facts like that.” He smirked.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Four: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this marks the end of the first third of the story! I have a feeling some of you might be rather happy come next week, ehehe. Also, I hope you guys liked the map- I had no idea what to do for the third piece, so I decided I should throw together one, just to give you guys a rough idea of where everything is, as well as some random cities that are mentioned/ will be mentioned later~ Let me know what you guys think of the story so far! Comments are lovely to read ;u; Until next week!
> 
> Next Week- Ryou and Yugi enter the inn, and a new player enters the game, so to speak. Also Yugi talks more than I've ever seen him talk before. Seriously, lotsa Yugi conversations~


	5. Wrapped Around Your Finger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is Wrapped around your finger by The Police

****

_I have only come here seeking knowledge,_

_Things they would not teach me of in college._

_I can see the destiny you sold,_

_Turned into a shining band of gold._

Ryou led the way again as they headed through the city districts to where the innkeeper lady had told them the other inn was located. As it turned out, it was pretty far out of town, a long way from anything decent, and even the housing areas seemed to be placed away from it. It almost seemed to stand alone, small and huddled against the imposing length and sheer size of the castle walls. But it didn’t stand out like a singular house normally would- there were a few trees that stood around the inn, creating an almost natural feel to the building. Yugi didn’t know what everyone was so apprehensive about, to him the inn looked nice and inviting, surrounded by flora by the entrance and the support of the wall behind.

“Looks cosy.” Ryou said, echoing Yugi’s thoughts. The two boys exchanged a quick nod before walking up the path to the door. Yugi noticed the sign for the inn’s name wasn’t displayed hanging above the door like normal- instead, it was carved into the wooden frame of the inn’s structure, in the space between the door and the first window on the right. Engraved in the scores were the words ‘ _Magician’s Refuge_.’ _Great, another witty slur name_ , Yugi thought dryly. For some reason, he had hopes that this place would have been different somehow. What struck Yugi as odd, however, was the fact that it didn’t have a character mascot with it, a detail _every_ inn he had ever seen had.

“Come on, Yugi! Let’s not wait around.” Yugi looked over to see Ryou had already vanished inside, and he sighed, shaking his head wistfully at his friend’s eagerness. He followed the mage inside, sliding past the door with a heavy groan from its hinges.

The common room was completely empty- there wasn’t a single person drinking anything in sight, nobody eating meals of soup and bread in the corners. The place was vacant, and there was a slight musty smell in the air that hinted the room hadn’t been full of people for a while. Regardless of the lack of patrons, Yugi noticed that the place seemed immaculately clean. All the tables shone from polishing, and brightly lit candles- which when Yugi leaned closer to a nearby one on a table- wafted an unusual fragrance of foreign citrus fruits. It was pleasant compared to the harsh bodily scents from the other inn. Yugi tore himself away from inhaling the candles to wander further into the inn, noting the way Ryou had wasted no time and was already leaning against the bar counter, waiting for someone to come attend to him.

“I like it.” Yugi nodded, half to himself as he admired the subtle little things that made the inn that much better than any he had seen before.

“Yeah, it’s alright I guess. I’d be nice if I could get some service though.” Ryou mumbled.

“Looking for something, boys?” As if on cue, a rich, deep voice called out, echoing slightly against the empty hall. Both boys flinched at the new voice, startled by the sudden intrusion. They whipped their heads in the direction of the voice, and Yugi felt his eyes widen as he gaped at the man that walked in.

The man was stunning, to say the least, and the way he held himself gave Yugi the impression that he had no shortage of self-confidence. He took in the way the innkeeper’s tunic rustled against his undershirt, the small creases upwards at the bottom where the belt fit snugly along his hips. Yugi couldn’t help but think that the smooth, silky strands of dark maroon hair that flowed out the top of his head looked somewhat similar in colour to his- although the innkeeper lacked the purple tips Yugi’s boasted. The man clearly worked hard to keep his hair that smooth looking. A rim of golden bangs protruded from a bandana placed gracefully on his forehand, just above his burning wine-coloured eyes that shone with genuine friendliness. Overall he gave the impression that he had a serious desire to be friendly to everyone.

“Can I help you at all?” The man said politely, and Yugi forced himself to look away in embarrassment at being caught staring. He was glad the man didn’t seem to have the same effect on Ryou, as the mage began to speak up.

“Yes, we’d like a room- if you’ve got one, please.”

The man laughed light-heartedly at Ryou’s words, moving forward to lean an arm on the bench behind the counter. Yugi felt himself shuffle forward to stand next to Ryou, his eyes still adverted from the man, although he felt those eyes glanced over him when he moved. It was hard not to squirm under such a fiery gaze. He was sure even Ryou felt the pressure of those eyes burning on his skin.

“Do you see any other people around?” The man pointed out. His tone was light, though, joking. “I just might have a spare room- or two.” He added, his gaze pinning on Yugi once more.

“We just need one, thanks. We’re fine with sharing- makes the cost easier.” Ryou shrugged.

“Truly? Well that would make sense when travelling with close companions. But I have many rooms and no one in them. It is quite alright to rent two- no extra cost.” The man quirked an eyebrow at the two boys, and Yugi realised he was expecting an answer. He opened his mouth to say something, but felt that the words would not come out. Luckily, Ryou seemed to sense that Yugi couldn’t articulate anything right now, and stood in for him.

“It’s kind of you to offer, but we’ll be fine with the one, thanks.” Ryou answered, and the man just nodded, making no turn to press further as he changed the conversation.

“Alright then. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m known as Yami, I’m the innkeeper, bartender, chef, and pretty much everything else around here. I do all the work.” The man- Yami- said with a gesture towards himself, the bright smile plastered on his face didn’t seem to want to go away at all, and the damn thing must have been contagious because soon enough Yugi felt his lips twitch up into a similar expression.

“White Mage Ryou.” The white-haired boy said as he extended his hand to shake with Yami. The innkeeper let his gaze travel to Yugi, where it rested on him as Yugi felt his breath hitch again. The other’s eyes were staggering, Yugi could feel himself being pulled into their deep violet depths. _Why do they look so powerful? He’s just an innkeeper, he’s not out to reveal all my deepest and darkest secrets!_ Yugi chided himself.

“And you?” He asked, amused by Yugi’s lack of cohesive thought. Yugi mentally scolded himself again as he drew in a breath. He liked to think that his voice came out fine, but when he spoke it sounded shaky and too high to belong to him. “Yugi.” He could feel the tingling in his ears as they undoubtedly lit up in embarrassment. If he could make it through the rest of today without behaving like an idiot for no apparent reason, then that would be great.

“Pleasure to meet you both. Now let’s see about setting you two up in a room shall we? I’ll give you a spare set of keys for another room, just in case you change your mind later.” Yami bent his head, disappearing behind the counter as he ducked amongst the shelves in search of something. He returned moments later carrying a set of keys dangling off an old keyring, handing them over to a bewildered Ryou.

“Uhh, thank you. Shall I pay now in advance…?” Ryou blinked over at Yugi who shoved an apologetic shrug back his way.

“Whenever you want, I’m not fussed- so long as you do before you leave, is all,” Yami shrugged, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Let me know if you need anything else; if I’m not down here just give a shout, I’ll probably be out back.” And with that said Yami dipped his head to the two of them before gliding across the floor and disappearing through a door.

“Well, we’re alive,” Ryou said, scoffing. “He seemed rather nice, I wonder why everyone was so against this place. Maybe it was a cover-up mask of friendliness. After all who offers a room for free? Pah, that’s not how you make money.” Ryou shook his head, and was already half way up the stairs when he realised Yugi wasn’t following. “What’s the matter?” He asked. Yugi was too busy staring at the door where Yami had left to notice.

“Um, hello? Anyone home there Yugi?” Ryou waved a hand over Yugi’s face, and it broke the charm that had glazed over Yugi, snapping his attention back to his annoying friend.

“Sorry Ryou, you say something?” Yugi blinked, shifting his attention between the door and Ryou’s irritated face.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? You barely said anything to the innkeeper guy.”

“Eheh, yeah, well, I dunno I guess I kind of froze up back there. No idea why though.” Yugi shifted his gaze around, refusing to look Ryou in the eye as his friend peered at him. He didn’t want to tell Ryou that he had been mesmerised by the innkeeper’s eyes.

“Huh, alright then. Weird. Maybe some sleep will help? Or would you prefer to grab an early dinner and crash after that?” Ryou questioned.

“Yeah sounds good,” Yugi smiled, glad for the distraction and change in conversation. “Let’s go ditch our stuff and fix up a meal. What have we got?”

“Well I don’t think mister mysterious back there is offering the eat-and-sleep deal- most mysterious thing about this place to be honest- so maybe we should bring some of our stuff back down. It’s nice and warm down there with the candles, seems like a nice place to eat.” Ryou nodded to himself, swerving back around to trot towards the stairs that lead upwards. Yugi streamed behind him, following him up until Ryou found a door that matched one of their keys. Sliding it into the lock, he jiggled it around until the door gave way, opening with little to no sound.

“Well that’s impressive.” Ryou commented, his eyes wide as he looked around the room. Yugi poked his head out from behind, wiggling forward into the room to see what the fuss was about.

For a simple inn room, it was lavishly decorated, a generous amount of furniture covering the walls and floor. A desk and chair sat across from a wardrobe, and when Yugi went to open the cupboard doors he saw several stacks of linen and blankets piled in amongst the shelves. The desk surface was well polished and clean, with the draws holding numerous spare empty scrolls and vials of ink, ready to use. Yugi picked up a sheet of the manuscript, rubbing his fingers over the edge to test the durability- he might be able to use some of the paper to expand his map collection. The bed was double the usual size, with a simple wooden header and end post, the bedspread almost hidden by a large musty smelling fur blanket spaning the length of the surface. On closer examination, Yugi noticed it was made from wolf skins stitched together. He took a glove off and brushed his fingers through the fur, feeling- to his surprise- how soft it was. He had expected the fur to be rigid and unclean, as although it was rare to find fur blankets in inns, most of the times they had them they weren’t cared for properly. Clothes and fur had different washing conditions, and most innkeepers don’t know how they should be cleaning them, but Yami clearly did, since this felt so soft and well looked after. Yugi was surprised, to say the least. Ryou was right- for what they had heard about Yami’s inn, it _was_ impressive.  

“This is strangely well maintained. I’ve never seen furs like this before.” Yugi mused. Ryou hummed in agreement, but his face wore a frown.

“I don’t like it, it’s too nice, you know? I hope he doesn’t expect me to pay a fortune for it. Maybe that’s why no one stays here, or why he said I didn’t have to pay upfront. I bet he’s going to charge me heaps for this.” Ryou was groaning, rambling on about theories of how the innkeeper was going to bleed him dry of coins. Yugi just shrugged at Ryou’s whining- the mage tended to be a bit on the guarded side when it came to his money. He guessed that all those years in the mages collage where most things were given freely had built up Ryou’s interest in hoarding his money, making sure he never spent too much if he could help it.

Yugi dumped his knapsack leaning against the desk, and rolled onto the bed, marvelling at the feel of the wolf skin blanket against his neck. He sighed in content, fidgeting around to make the fur brush along his skin more.

“This feels amazing.” He giggled, running his un-gloved hand up and down the blanket.

“Yes, well let’s not get lulled into a false sense of security- the people of this town don’t exactly speak highly of this place, and I’d hate to find out why. It could be nothing, but it could also be something horrible, we shouldn’t let our guard down.”

“Maybe it was just that lady, I bet her inn was nowhere near as nice as Yami’s. Maybe she scares all the competition away, you know?”

“Could be true, I wouldn’t put it past a jealous innkeeper to do that,” Ryou acknowledged, nodding in agreement. “Hopefully we can be in and out of here in a few days, then we don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“Oh? I was meaning to ask what it is you wanted to do here. I’m assuming its mage business?”

“Yeah, I’ve got to get that book checked out, remember? After that, I’m not sure, I guess I’ll see where the new information leads me on my quest.” Ryou patted his bag, where Yugi knew the book was nestled snugly inside. He thought about his own book he took from the tower, and made a mental note to get it out to read later.

“Sounds like a plan, hopefully you find your quest book soon Ryou.”

Ryou smiled fondly at Yugi, leaning against the desk with crossed arms. “Me too, Yugi. Me too. It would be nice to get the answers I’m looking for. So tell me, what do you plan to do now? I mean, if my search takes me somewhere else back south or east, you wanted to keep heading this way, right?”

Yugi shifted his position on the bed so his upper body was sitting up, resting on his elbows as he looked over at his friend. “Yeah, I was actually considering heading off out west more after we’re done here. After all, I don’t have much of a plan, and adventuring unknown territory sounds like fun. I’ve been meaning to expand my maps some more.”

“I dare say you may find something worthwhile out that way. I’ll want to hear all about it later, you know.” Ryou teased.

“Sure, sure. Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know if I make any big discoveries.” Yugi beat his fist against his chest, puffing it out to pretend to look dramatic. “Adventurer Yugi, a Beast Tamer like no other! Discovering landmarks and making a name for himself out west!”

“Slow down there, hero. How’s a mere White Mage like myself going to get an audience with someone so great?” Ryou threw his hands up. “Oh the agony!”

“Phft, wow Ryou, I don’t think I will ever be able to beat you in a drama contest. You sure you never worked in the theatre?” Yugi badgered, to which Ryou turned his nose up at.

“Me? In theatre? Why Yugi, I’m hurt. My talent is too extravagant for such a place!” Ryou leaped forward, assuming a wide footed stance with his arms posed in the arm dramatically. Yugi just laughed, all chance of a comeback gone as his head fell back onto the fur blanket. When his fit had stopped and he regained his composure, Yugi stood up, flipping off the mattress to stare at his friend.

“So, we going to eat now? Because I’m starving.” Yugi commented, and Ryou opened his mouth to reply when a growling from his stomach interrupted him. His light, pale face looked flustered as he looked away in embarrassment.

“Looks like you are too.” Yugi chuckled. “I’ll head downstairs, join me when you’re ready.” And Yugi left the room, not waiting for Ryou’s response, seeing as how he knew the other boy would follow him down soon enough.

He trudged down the staircase, admiring the way they only creaked quietly from old age, not from worn use. He doubted they had seen many feet in their time, if the state of the inn was to be believed. Yugi still couldn’t work out why everything was so neat and orderly and, well, _impressive_ looking, and not a single other person in sight. _Maybe they only show up occasionally, and it just happened to be empty today when Ryou and I arrived,_ Yugi thought. As he made his way out into the tavern area, he glanced past the bar counter, searching for the maroon mop of hair that marked the innkeeper’s presence. True to what he said before, Yami was not present- most likely out the back of the building somewhere. Yugi wondered if it was worth calling to see if he would come like he had promised, but decided it wasn’t, seeing as he didn’t need help with anything. It was then that he realised he could smell the wafting scent of something cooking from somewhere through the back door. It smelt amazing, and Yugi could feel his stomach making its presence known as it grumbled in agreement.

“Yeah, yeah, calm down stomach I know, I’m hungry. But whatever Yami’s cooking himself smells amazing, better than what we’re probably going to have.” Yugi sighed, walking around the expanse of the empty room as he waited for Ryou.

“What’s this about not eating? Are you not having any of this?” Yami’s head poked out of the back door, and Yugi squeaked in surprise.

“Ah! I didn’t see you there! Sorry, I was talking to myself out loud.” He smiled sheepishly.

“No matter, as someone who lives by themselves I can’t really judge,” Yami chuckled. “But, did I hear right? You don’t want to be fed?”

“Wait, what? No, I just…” Suddenly the gears in Yugi’s head clicked and he realised what Yami was saying. “Wait, were you making _us_ dinner?”

“….Yes?” Yami offered, looking just as confused as Yugi. “Inns do offer dinners, don’t they? It’s just coming by a little late, since you two caught me off guard, I haven’t had much time to prepare, so it’s just a simple soup tonight. Is that… okay?” Yami looked worried, which Yugi thought was odd. For an innkeeper, he sure was unsure about a lot of things innkeepers usually knew about. But the look the innkeeper was giving Yugi made him seem like he had done something wrong, and was anxious for Yugi’s reply.

“Oh yeah, it’s fine! I’m just surprised is all, I- well, _we_ weren’t really expecting it.” Yugi admitted, noticing Ryou coming down the stairs, a questioning look on his face. Yami turned to see the mage as well.

“I see, well, I’ll go get it ready for you two, if you still want to eat,” Yami said, and Yugi’s stomach took that exact moment to grumble loudly, to which Yugi blushed in embarrassment and Yami laughed. “I take that as a yes. Sit down wherever you two want and I’ll be right back with your meal.”

As Yami left, Ryou walked over to Yugi, saying, “What was that all about? Did I hear something about food?”

“Yeah, turns out Yami was making us dinner.” Yugi beamed, moving over to sit in one of the booths on the far side of the room, Ryou mimicking his movements as he sat across from Yugi.

“Really? And here I was thinking we weren’t getting anything but a room here.”

“He doesn’t look like he does this often, maybe he’s just happy to have guests?” Yugi suggested. Ryou hummed thoughtfully, but before he could reply Yami had reappeared from behind the counter carrying two trays. He placed one in front of each of them before moving away to pause.

“Sorry I didn’t have any bread to go with it, I’ll cook some for tomorrow- if you chose to stay tomorrow, that is.” Yami remarked.

“Depends how things go I guess, but we’ll be here tomorrow night for sure. I can’t guarantee how long we might need, well, me at least.” Ryou commented, glancing at Yugi who was busy inhaling the soup’s scented flavour.

“You are both welcome here as long as you need to stay.” Yami stated, giving them a half bow and telling them to enjoy the meal before taking his leave.

Yugi wasted no time sticking a spoon into his bowl, bringing a mouthful of the swirling liquid to his lips as he blew on the surface. He could tell from the sides of the bowl that it was still quite hot. When he had blown off enough steam for his liking, he upended the spoon into his mouth, sucking on the dip to get all of the soup out.

“Mmm, that is so good.” Yugi sighed, already digging his spoon in for more. Ryou looked between his bowl of soup and Yugi currently woofing his down, and shrugged. “If you say so Yugi, but let’s get someone with an acquired taste to try it out shall we? After all, a pro cook like me would know best.” Ryou mocked, sticking his nose up as he pretended to examine every inch of the bowl’s surface. Yugi had to stop himself from spitting out his soup as Ryou lifted the tiniest bit to his mouth, licking off a minuscule scrap and swirling the rest around on the spoon in contemplation.

“Oh my gosh Ryou this isn’t a wine tasting.” Yugi snickered, watching his friend’s mock expression change to one of surprise.

“Woah, okay you’re right- this is amazing. I’ve never made anything this good, and that’s saying something. How can soup taste this good? I want to know his secret.” Ryou was already shoving a spoonful into his mouth, humming as he went. The two bowls were cleaned in moments, both boys contently lounging back with their filled stomachs, admiring the design work of the building and commenting on the furnishing. The candle light really did make for a nice dinner setting, it was neither romantic nor creepy. Instead, the sticks of wax served as nothing more than a gentle light and heat source, as Yugi had noticed since entering the room that the temperature was always at a comfortable degree.  

Yugi heard the shuffling of feet and the sound of objects clinking together, and he peered over the booth chair to see Yami walking around behind the bar counter, carrying a box full of mugs. The innkeeper must have felt Yugi’s eyes on him, for he turned around, smiling when he saw Yugi staring at him.

“Was the soup alright?” He asked, raising his voice to be heard over the distance.

“It was great! Thank you!” Yugi said, getting up and grabbing the trays, taking them over with him to the counter.

“Yeah, I haven’t had soup that good in ages.” Ryou admitted, joining the other two at the counter.

“Thank you, that means a lot to hear.” Yami beamed, taking the trays from Yugi with another ‘thank you.’

“Now… I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” Ryou started, waiting until he had Yami’s attention to continue. “But I have to ask, I mean- don’t get me wrong, our room is very nice- but how much do you charge a night?”

“Oh, I’m not really fussed. I don’t like to charge my customers too much, they usually only come here when they’re too short on coin for the other inns. My usual rate is seven copper pieces, but if that’s too much let me know, I can drop it to five if you’re desperate.” Yami smiled at Ryou, who stared back at him in surprise. Even Yugi knew how cheap that was considered to the other places they had visited, let alone that Yami was giving them _meals_ as well. Yugi couldn’t think of a single reason why people would avoid the place.

“No, seven a night is fine.” Ryou blinked, still surprised. He was searching the innkeeper’s face, looking for signs that he was lying or joking. Surely an inn that hardly appeared to have any business couldn’t afford to offer their rooms at such a low price?

“Excellent, we can work out the details on your last night, just let me know when you plan to leave.” Yami said.

Ryou’s eyes flashed in confusion for a moment. “So, you’re, uh, definitely not going to charge me a fortune?” Yami watched him for a moment, reading the other’s expression before the innkeeper’s eyes softened suddenly, and they took on a sad look.

“Ah, I see,” He mumbled, half to himself. “You have spoken to the people in the city, I presume? Of course- you probably went to another inn. I’m sure they speak quite highly of me there.” His tone was light, joking, but Yugi noticed the flash of sorrow that passed through his eyes.

“They’re probably just jealous,” Yugi spoke up, and the two swung their heads around to stare at him. “I know I would be if my inn was as terrible as that compared to this one.” Yugi smiled at Yami, who hesitantly returned the expression.

“Thank you, Yugi. That’s kind of you to say,” Yami said, dipping his head in a bow. “Well, I best be getting back to finish up in the kitchen. I’ll see you two later. Enjoy your night.” And with that Yami grabbed some more mugs from off the bench and took off back out the door.

Yugi turned to his friend, about to ask if they should retire upstairs, when he saw Ryou staring at him with his head tilted, eyes half lidded in thought. “You know Yugi, you have a way with people.”

“I do?” Yugi asked, confused. Ryou nodded. “Yeah, it’s strange, you hardly ever have encounters with people, and yet I can already see the level of trust you put into the innkeeper- someone you just met today.”

“Is this going to be another one of your speeches, Ryou?” Yugi asked doubtfully.

“Not today,” Ryou said, making his way over to the staircase. “Just do me a favour, Yugi. Promise me you’ll be careful, alright? Your over trusting nature could be your downfall one day, you know.”

“Alright Ryou, I promise I’ll be careful.” Yugi said, heading up the stairs after his friend.

* * *

The next morning Yugi woke to find Ryou had already left earlier, a note on the desk detailing that he wouldn’t be back until late evening. Deciding he had nothing better to do, Yugi lounged around the room for most of the morning, doing casual little jobs like maintaining his leather and patching up a few holes in his cape- things that had piled up during their travels. He had also picked up the book he got from the wizard’s tower, reading through a few chapters before getting tired of the old language style, opting for something more refreshing instead. He was just pouring over his maps spread out over the desk when he heard what sounded like something falling with a loud crash. He stood up, immediately running to the door and swinging his head out. The hallway was empty, of course, since no one else but he and Ryou seemed to be staying in the inn.

“That sounded like it came from downstairs…” Yugi muttered, moving out into the hallway and making his way down to the common room. He saw something move behind the bar, and when he turned to see what it was he found Yami standing there, with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

“That was a good brand, too…” The innkeeper was mumbling to himself, and he seemed to notice Yugi at that moment for his head turned towards the tamer. “Oh, Yugi! Sorry, did I startle you?”

“No I’m fine, I just heard a noise like something breaking and came down to check.” Yugi explained, moving closer to stand next to the counter.

“Yeah, I accidentally dropped a bottle, sorry for the disturbance. It was very clumsy of me.” Yami waved towards the door behind the counter, a mess of broken glass chips scattered in the middle of a pool of some dark liquid. Yugi could smell the alcoholic content from where he was perched, whatever it was had been strong liquor, most likely a wine or ale.

“Are you alright? Didn’t get hit with the glass did you?” Yugi looked the other over, checking for any obvious cuts.

“No, I’m fine, but thank you for your concern.” Yami said as he bent down and began to pick up the shards of glass.

“Did you want any help with that?” Yugi asked. Yami looked up at him in surprise.

“You’re serious? Yugi, you’re my patron. I don’t expect you to have to work at all. Just leave it to me, and don’t worry about it.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Yugi crossed his arms on the counter, resting his head on them. He watched Yami pick up the remaining pieces and toss them into a container of some sort underneath the bench on the opposite side of the bar, below the wall where the collection of alcoholic beverages sat.

“I guess the rest can wait until later. It seems I have a guest to entertain right now.” Yami turned around to put his hands down on the bench behind the counter, smiling all the while at Yugi.

“Wait, am I interrupting your work? Because I can go back—“

“No no, you’re not a problem at all Yugi. Really, wherever did you get that idea from?”

“I just thought… Never mind, you’re probably right.” Yugi admitted. He shifted from his sitting position to take up sitting in one of the stools in front of the counter instead, his legs not quite reaching the ground, much to his lament.

“So, what can I do for you, my most generous patron?” Yami asked, his hands idly reaching for a cloth and mug as he began to wipe around the rim. Yugi figured it was from years of habit. He flushed at the praise, awkwardly fidgeting in his seat. _Damn it why is Yami so different from the others? All the other innkeepers I’ve met haven’t talked to me this much, let alone praised me, even when I’ve save their town from beasts!_

“Would you like a drink?” Yami prompted, and Yugi realised he had been staring. Blinking away his feelings of embarrassment, he said, “No thanks, I’m good!” Really, Yugi didn’t want to ask for a drink because he was almost positive that Yami would have given it to him without charging him, and there was no way Yugi was going to cut into what little profits Yami got from his establishment.

“Suit yourself.” Yami dipped his head, returning to his focus on the already clean looking mug he was trying to clean. After a few moments of awkward silence Yugi decided to speak up.

“Sorry, I’m not really the best at conversations.” Yugi said apologetically, to which Yami raised an eyebrow at him.

“If you think you’re bad then I must be awful,” he chuckled, putting down the mug on the bench as his hand began to wonder to another cup. Somehow the mug did look cleaner than before, Yugi noticed with amazement. “I don’t see many travellers, so I never know what to talk about. I mean, aren’t innkeepers supposed to be the point of call for information for people new to town?” Yami seemed amused by the notion shaking his head lightly.   

“Maybe people just don’t know this place is an inn.” Yugi offered.

“Well, to be honest, it’s more of a tavern than an inn these days. Not many people stay here, they more or less just come for the alcohol.” Yami admitted, absently running his finger along the rim of a glass cup. Yugi nodded, his short legs dangling over the edge of the stool.

“I don’t see why they don’t. Your service is impeccable, plus you’re a great chef.” Yugi saw his face light up at the praise, and Yami’s smile widened.

“Thank you for your kind words, Yugi. I’m glad someone appreciates my cooking and hospitality.” He tipped a hand towards Yugi as he bowed his head, returning to the glass mugs. Yugi leaned over the counter slightly to peer at the bench below, noting the glassware mixed in with the usual tavern wooden mugs. He frowned, confused by the sight of the shimmering material. Glass was usually only used in places that held great importance- royal castles, religious holdings, upper class city houses, and mage colleges. He didn’t understand why a simple inn in the lower town area of Rohesia had _glassware_.

“You’re wondering why I have glasses here I see.” Yugi looked up to see Yami watching him, a playful smile on his lips.

“Um, yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to peek over your bar counter.” Yugi threw out his apology, pushing himself back up into a proper sitting position.

“No need to apologise, really. I was wondering when you’d ask, actually, considering most of the bottles on the wall are of the glass kind and aren’t in the giant wooden barrel you’ve probably seen in other inns. The bottles are for better kinds of alcohol I like to serve, and I simply keep the glass cups and jars because they remind me of another time. Another job I had, if you will.” Yami’s eyes twinkled in amusement, watching Yugi carefully with a tilted head. Yugi felt like he was looking at either a genuinely nice person, or someone who could take him out with a well-placed verbal attack. His smile looked sincere, but his aura radiated the need for respect- something that Yami couldn’t seem to shake off, regardless of how much he chose to slouch in his stance.

“O-Okay, that makes sense. What kind of job was it? Were you a royal by chance?” Yugi couldn’t stop the words from leaking from this thoughts and tumbling out his mouth. _Damn it!_ He thought, chewing his lip in nervous regret. He hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but he had been too curious about the change in Yami’s stance.

“What makes you think I was a royal, Yugi?” Yami’s head was titled in question, while his eyes were wide in surprise.

“I… Er, well it’s just. You seem to have an air around you that, like demands respect, or something. I dunno, sorry I asked, forget it.” He groaned, tugging on a bang. The embarrassment just kept coming it seemed.

Yami chuckled loudly at Yugi’s response, a hand coming to his face to help stifle the laughing fit. “No no, it’s fine, really. I just never thought I still had that aura around me.”

Yugi blinked in surprise, his eyebrows raising. “Wait, was I right?”

“Hmm, in a way, I guess. I wasn’t a royal so much as I worked in a palace, though. I worked in the kitchens as a head chef there, so I guess I got a little too used to being in charge.” Yami replied, both of his elbows resting on the bench again.

“Ohhh that would explain why you’re such a great chef! You must have had lots of experience- hey, which palace was it? Roul maybe? Or the floating one out on the sea at Winfrith?”

“Cyneric, actually, although I appreciate the enthusiasm with getting to know me.” Yami chuckled.

“Woah, not the Great City of the South! That’s awesome! I heard you have to train ages as an apprentice to practice an art in the palace. Most say it’s a lost cause.”

“Nowadays I’m sure it is, but I worked there years ago- it’s been awhile since I set up here in Rohesia.”

“Really? Why did you leave then?” Yugi frowned.

Yami shrugged nonchalantly. “Turns out palace life wasn’t for me. I prefer the simpler life here. I have time to think to myself, and this city isn’t as big as the royal capital.” Yugi couldn’t understand why Yami would throw such a promising life away, but he was sure the innkeeper had his reasons somehow. He could tell that the man was getting uncomfortable with focusing on himself so much, although he wore his smile well. Yugi was definitely familiar with the unnerving presence of too many people; he had lived in a city before, but after travelling around for so long, he had tasted too much freedom to want to go back to the stuffy confines of human settlement.

“I see. That’s understandable.” Yugi lied, giving the man a smile to help ease the slight tension that had begun to settle.

“So, why don’t you tell me about yourself, Yugi? That’s usually what happens at inns, right?” Yami grinned. Yugi accepted the change of conversation, although he wasn’t sure what to say, really. No one ever asked him about his life beyond what he did for a living.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Yugi laughed, rubbing his mess of hair on the back of his head. “I’m a Beast Tamer, but I only really use my powers to help people that need an animal of some sort dealt with.” He decided not to mention Arundel, figuring it was best to keep the dragon a secret. Even though Yami seemed harmless and friendly, he still didn’t want to let the dragon be discovered, otherwise they may have to escape from Rohesia.

“Ahh, a Beast Tamer you say? Sounds like you’re quite the person, helping others so willingly. It’s a wonderful character trait- one we need more of in this world, I’m sad to say. But you two are certainly an odd couple, a Beast Tamer and a White Mage. Sounds like the start of a comedy play.” Yami laughed, and Yugi couldn’t help resting his hand on his face to hide his embarrassment at the image he got of Ryou and him trying to pull off a stage show.

It was then that the door to the inn swung open, and the white mage Ryou himself trudged inside, raising an eyebrow at the two by the counter.

“Did I miss a bonding session while I was away?” He joked, coming to a stop beside where Yugi was seated.

“We were just sharing life stories. Did you know that Yami here used to work in the Cyneric palace? Isn’t that awesome?” Yugi chirped up, bouncing a little in his chair in eagerness to tell his friend the news.

“Really? Cyneric you say? Interesting, I used to visit the city myself a lot during my apprentice years. You ever visit Malle?” Ryou questioned, to which Yami shook his head.

“Can’t say I did, I hardly saw much of Cyneric as it was- too busy working the kitchens to go sightseeing. I heard that Malle is famous for holding one of the best Mages Colleges, I’m assuming you earnt your mages title there?” Yami replied.

“Yeah. Most white mages learn magic there, occasionally a gifted one becomes a magician, but that’s pretty rare.” Ryou shrugged, not really seeming that interested in talking about his days at the collage. Yugi had heard some of his stories, but it wasn’t something Ryou really cared about much, as he preferred to talk about the years afterwards instead, where he spent travelling around Asren.

“Hey Ryou, how did your trip go? Find out what you needed to?” Yugi perked up, changing the conversation.

“Yeah, I’ve got a fairly decent new lead, better than the old wizard’s tower one.” Ryou seemed uncertain about discussing it, his gaze travelling from Yugi to a spot beside Yami, not looking directly at the innkeeper, but his point made nonetheless.

“An old wizard’s tower? Those kinds of places are dangerous I hear. You never know if a wizard still inhabits one.” Yami frowned, his gaze full of concern and something else that flashed deeper in his eyes, but faded before Yugi had a chance to acknowledge it. Fear, perhaps? Ryou looked like he wanted to both argue with him and tell him to mind his own business, but Yugi piped in before he could do either, not really thinking about it when he said it. “Ryou’s trying to find an old wizard’s book for some silly mage’s quest. Isn’t that right, Ryou?” Yugi saw his friend cringe a little, levelling a glare at Yugi that promised a lecture later.

“It’s really not that important, just something the higher ups saddled me with to push me out of the college. Everyone gets a stupid quest to complete.” He said quickly, dismissing any chance for the two to respond with a flick of his wrist.

“I see, apologies for prying so much. I was worried you were looking for something worth getting into trouble over, but seeing as how you’re a mage, I’m sure you know of the danger a wizard can possess.” Yami’s words were fairly cool, and he had picked up another jug somewhere during his talk and was running a cloth over it, his eyes piercing into its wooden surface as if his life depended on watching the pitcher.

“Surely not all wizards are bad, right?” Yugi questioned, earning himself two raised eyebrows of surprised from both Yami and Ryou. “I mean, you paint them as if they’re all evil or something, but they’re just really powerful mages, even more powerful than magicians. Having power doesn’t make you evil, it’s how you use it… Right?” Yugi explained further, fumbling with the belts on his arms as he burned under the searching stares of the two before him.

“Wise words,” Yami spoke up first, nodded at Yugi. “I wish everyone had a heart as understanding as yours, Yugi.” Yugi felt said heart warm at the innkeeper’s words, smiling at him as his body tingled with the praise. Ryou, however, frowned, looking sceptical.

“That may be true, but it doesn’t stop power from corrupting them. It only takes one corrupt wizard to cause thousands pain and suffering,” He said, shaking his head sadly as he patted Yugi’s shoulder. “I’ll be upstairs Yugi, come up when you’re done here, I want to talk with you about something.” And with that Ryou headed off, his feet making hardly any sound on the staircase in the far corner as he ascended.

“Alright Ryou, be there soon!” Yugi called after him, frowning slightly at his friend’s reactions and behaviour. “That was certainly… weird. But I guess Ryou would know more than us, right? He is a mage after all.” Yugi said, expecting a response. When he didn’t get one, he turned to look at Yami and saw the man was having an intense staring contest with the counter, his eyes glazed over.

“Uh, Yami? Hello? Are you alright? You look sick all of a sudden.” Yugi waved his hand in front of the innkeeper, who didn’t respond. He leaned forward to shake his shoulder instead, yelling, “Hey, Yami! Are you okay!?”

“Ah-! Yugi, what…?” Yami blinked, his attention snapping towards Yugi as he pulled back in surprise.

“What happened back there? Did Ryou say something to offend you?”

“Ah, no your friend was fine Yugi, don’t worry. I just blanked out for a moment there, nothing to worry about,” He smiled, although Yugi thought it was plenty to worry about. Yami must have seen his disbelieving face, for he spoke again. “No really, it’s fine, it happens sometimes with me. I have times when I just… Lose focus. Okay I can see you don’t seem convinced but I promise it’s nothing new, nor something to worry about.” He placed a hand over Yugi’s, squeezing it reassuringly. “Please, don’t worry about it.”

“Well… If you’re sure, I guess.” Yugi said uncertainly.

“I am. Now, I believe your friend wishes to speak with you. How about you go see him, and I’ll fix you two something up for when you’re done, alright? A nice warm stew and a cold pint of ale would do well for tonight I believe.” Yami winked at Yugi before pushing off from the counter, gliding through the back door.

“Yeah, that sounds awesome, thanks!” Yugi called after him. He decided it would be best to go see what Ryou wanted, so he climbed the stairs upward to their room.

Ryou was waiting inside, turning the pages of some book idly, his eyes not really scanning the pages as he sat in the room’s only chair in front of the desk. He looked up when he heard Yugi entering, closing the book to swing his body around to face him.

“Have I… Done something wrong?” Yugi shrugged, looking sheepish. He could tell from Ryou’s facial expression that the other boy wasn’t happy about something, although he laughed when Yugi spoke.

“No Yugi, you’re fine. I just… I don’t trust that guy as much as you do. I mean, we just met him yesterday. Don’t be telling him too much about us.” Ryou warned. Yugi gave a nervous laugh. _A bit late for that Ryou, I’ve already told him a fair bit_. He didn’t want Ryou to worry more though, so instead he said, “If it puts your mind to rest, Ryou. But really, there’s no need to be so suspicious- Yami really does seem like a generally nice guy. I doubt he’s hiding some earthshattering secret.” Ryou frowned, but his face eventually lifted into a smile.

“Yeah you’re probably right. Guess I just got a little worried when you mentioned my quest. Too many years of hiding things from people at the college I guess. At least promise me you won’t talk about it anymore, alright? Innkeepers tend to have lose mouths, and talk too much. I don’t really need a nosey innkeepers badgering me about official mage business.”

“Sure thing Ryou. Oh, also, Yami said he’s cooking dinner now, and to come down when we’re ready. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!”

“Same, actually, I didn’t really eat while I was out. Let’s head down shall we?” Ryou suggested, getting up and leading the way downstairs, Yugi following close behind.

They walked down to the room filled with the teasing smell of freshly baked bread wafting out from the kitchen. Yugi could hear his stomach growling in anticipation, and Ryou’s wasn’t silent either as the two took in the scents that were clinging to the air.

“It smells amazing, what kind of bread do you suppose that is?” Yugi wondered.

“It’s a homemade recipe, although I found the basics from an old book.” A voice called out, and soon enough Yami appeared from the back room. He was wearing a half apron over his clothes, his hands on his hips as he wiped them on the worn garment.

“But I didn’t smell any bread cooking when I left this morning- doesn’t bread usually need to be cooked in the morning?” Ryou questioned.

“That’s just what the bakeries do because people come to buy bread only in the mornings. They want it fresh, so bakers cook it early so it’s ready in time when the shop opens,” Yami explained, moving behind the counter as he spoke. The sound of jugs clunking against each other could be heard, and soon Yami had a bottle of alcohol of some kind (the label being too small and Yugi too far away to read it), pouring the contents of the bottle into two mugs. “But seeing as I don’t run a bakery, I think it’s safe to assume I can cook my bread whenever I want- or, more accurately, whenever I believe my patrons are ready to eat their dinner.”

Ryou nodded his head, his mouth forming an ‘o’ as he shifted to sit down in one of the nearby booths- the same one he and Yugi had occupied last night.

“So you had it cooking all that time we were talking?” Yugi marvelled, taking a seat across from Ryou as Yami walked over to their table, carrying the two mugs filled with liquid.

“That’s right, it’s been slow baking for most of the day. And now that the sun has set, I figured it would be a welcomed addition to your meal.”

Yugi blinked, turning to look out the nearest window to see the darken hues of night painting the landscape outside. “Oh, so it is.” He conceded. Yami placed a mug in front of Ryou and Yugi, who peered over the rim into the liquid inside. “It’s ale.” Yami offered, noticing Yugi’s suspicious look. He immediately flustered and grabbed the mug, muttering a thanks before swallowing a mouthful of the alcohol to cover his blushing. The drink was bitter and had a slight tang to it that promised it had been brewed with the proper care. Yugi gave an appreciative hum, sloshing the ale around in the jug as he watched it tilt up the sides. After seeing Yugi’s reaction to the drink, Ryou tipped his own mug back, his eyes widening after he swallowed.

“That’s some bloody good ale!” He exclaimed, and Yugi voiced his agreement as well.

“Why thank you. I’m glad to see the man who sold it to me wasn’t lying about the taste.” Yami gave them a half bow, his face upturned in a warm smile.

“Wait, you mean you haven’t tried it yourself?” Ryou asked, frowning. The comment caught Yugi off-guard as well. Most innkeepers knew the tastes of their drinks so as to keep their patrons happy with their preferred brews.

“N-no, alcohol does not mix well with my wellbeing, I’m not really supposed to drink it…” Yami explained, smiling apologetically. “I usually trust what people tell me about the drinks I buy, I’ve yet to offer someone something they didn’t like. I’m sorry, I should have said something. I didn’t mean to upset the both of you. I apologise.” Ryou and Yugi exchanged a shocked look before the mage spoke up.

“No, it’s alright! I’m sorry for sounding upset, it’s just not something I’ve seen down in inns before. I mean, it tastes _amazing_ , I’m just surprised you haven’t tried it yourself.”

Yami’s mood seemed to lift a little at Ryou’s words. “Still, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I seem to have been told many times that the way I run my inn is quite different to the regular kind.”

“For sure,” Ryou nodded vigorously. “I can really see your palace background in how you run things. I swear, if you treat all your guests like this I have no idea why your tavern room is always so empty, it’s like being royalty!”

“I- thank you. It’s kind of you to say,” Yami said. Yugi could see how humbled he was by the words, the massive smile Yami was trying to conceal beaming brightly on his face. “I’ll go get your meals- I’m sure you’re both quite famished.” And with that Yami swung around and disappeared through the door behind the counter. He returned a moment later carrying two trays, each with a steaming bowl of stew and a spoon and roll of bread resting beside them. He placed the trays in front of each of the boys, pausing to admire his handiwork. “Well, I hope you enjoy it. Stew’s normally what they serve in other inns, right?”

“Yeah, it’s the staple. Haven’t you ever been to an inn?” Yugi replied jokingly. Yami shrugged, tossing his hands up. “Like I said, it’s been awhile since I’ve been outside of Rohesia. A lot could have changed in then. I’ll be out back if you two need anything else.” And with that said Yami gave them a half bow, pivoting around on his foot to stride back through the door that marked the entrance to what Yugi now believed was the kitchen.

“Well,” Ryou said, picking up the spoon next to his bowl. “I certainly can’t figure this guy out. Nobody can be _that_ naturally nice, right?”

Yugi tossed a hopeless shrug his way, shoving a spoonful of stew into his mouth instead of answering. The flavour was rich, and yet not overpowering of one kind of ingredient alone. He could taste the potato and the carrot, but also some kind of meat too. They all blended well together, and Yugi found himself humming in appreciation.

“Is it that good?” Ryou asked, sniffing his bowl before taking a spoonful himself. His eyes lit up and he nodded at Yugi. “Mmmm, who would have thought stew could taste so good.” Ryou muttered as he tore into the bread loaf. Yugi grabbed his as well, dipping the warm bread into the swirling substance before bringing it to his mouth, savouring the taste. While the bread was warm, the stew was a tad bit too hot in temperature, so Yugi drowned the food down with a swig of ale. Overall the meal was very well balanced, the cold drink complementing the heat of the meal, and Yugi could find no real faults with it.

After they had wiped their bowls clean and downed the last of their ale, the two boys left the table- Yugi taking the dishes over to the counter to thank Yami for the meal when he reappeared- and headed off to their room for the night.

Once inside, Yugi saw his maps still sprawled out on the desk, and slid into the chair, picking up an ink pot to resume work on them. Ryou wandered over to stand behind the chair, peering over Yugi’s shoulder at the mess of navigation.

“Whatcha working on now Yugi?” He asked as Yugi smoothed over a section that had curled viciously from constant wrapping up.

“Just filling in some new locations is all. I want to map out the area around Rohesia, over here,” Yugi pointed to a drawing of what appeared to be Rohesia in the north west of a map script. “See how the drawing only has the city? It’s missing the western mountains and the lake to the east.”

“I take it you want to head out west after this? You can’t deny it, I can see the appeal in your eyes.” Ryou teased, patting Yugi’s shoulder lightly.

“What can I say? The west is filled with uncharted terrain. It practically calls to us adventurers. Shh, can you hear it?” Yugi put a hand to his ear, and Ryou rolled his eyes, mimicking the action. “It’s the sound of adventure.”

“Oh my gosh Yugi.” Ryou mussed with his hair, earning a cry of surprise from the shorter boy.

“H-Hey! You’re the one who asked.” Yugi pouted, running his fingers through his hair to try to comb out the mess Ryou’s interruption had made.

“True true,” Ryou conceded. His head snapped up suddenly, and he knocked a closed fist against his other palm. “Oh, that’s right! Almost forgot. I have to go out of the city tomorrow- important mage duties and what not. Sorry Yugi, but it’s kind of strictly mages only. Could be dangerous stuff- well, not really, but still.”

“It’s fine Ryou, I was going to go see Arundel tomorrow anyway. I promised I’d speak to him once we were sorted out here. If we’re staying longer than usual, he ought to know. And besides,” Yugi added. “I’m sure you wouldn’t need me for your boring book hunt either. I can’t believe how hard it is to find one little old book!” Yugi laughed, and Ryou joined in.

“Yeah, well if I want to ever be free of this quest, I have to find it. The elders said it was a fool’s errand, but I’m determined to prove them wrong. It would be nice to return to Malle and wave the bloody thing in their faces. Oooo what I would pay to _see_ their expressions, ha!” Ryou had picked up his book, waving it in front of Yugi’s face in a mock preview. Yugi pretended to look shocked, although he may have exaggerated too much, as Ryou snickered at his reaction, tossing the book back into his bag before getting ready for bed.

“So I’ll see you back here tomorrow evening I guess.” Yugi said as he too stripped down to his sleeping attire, removing the leather clothing and buckles, as well as the cape from his back.

“Yeah, I’ll be back sometime tomorrow,” Ryou replied vaguely, his face obscured by his mop of snowy hair as he flopped onto the bed. “Goodnight.” He mumbled through it.

“Night Ryou.” Yugi curled up in his usual sleeping position, his back nudging against Ryou’s as the two go comfortable before drifting into sleep.

* * *

 

A young boy dressed in bright robes entered a musty old room. The room was connected to what had once been a hallway in the building, but was now impassable and barely recognisable due to having being caved in. The boy had made his way to this room with a purpose, and it had taken him quite a while to navigate the destroyed remains of the building to find it. But the rumours and little crucial facts he had gained during his travels had finally led him to the place, the place where it had all happened- at least he thought so. He picked his way through the fallen chunks of stone and shredded objects in the room, making his way over to the gaping hole that took up the majority of the far wall. The area was in such a disarray, it looked like an explosion of some kind had gone off, obliterating most of the wall and collapsing the room in. He could see the night sky above, the plastering of stars twinkling against the tinged blue abyss, while the wide stretch of forest below looked nothing more than a sea of black from the height he was at. He hadn’t come to admire the view from the ruined castle, however- he was here for a reason.

He scanned the area around the open wall, using an orb of magical light he held above his head to illuminate the ground for him to see. Almost everything was singed or burnt, nothing but black mounds scattered amongst the rubble. The boy scoffed in annoyance. It _had_ to be here, this was the place. He was sure of it, all the evidence pointed to the event having occurred here. No normal explosion would have taken out the entire foundations for the building, leaving it in a broken shell of its former glory. He glanced over the area again, taking more care in looking under the chunks of rubble, until he saw the faintest glint of something, almost entirely hidden underneath the debris. Smiling to himself, the boy pushed the orb higher in the air and dropped his hand, leaving the light source bobbing by itself above him. He crouched down, using both his hands to grab the item, yanking it out from its prison. Once it was freed, the boy took the time to look at the item in greater detail.

“Finally, I found it.” He whispered, running his hands along the length of it. It was long, the shaft thick with spiralling details. The head resembled the shape of a bird, with two wing like sections sprouting out from the part where the head met the handle. Above the wings was a large gem grasped by what looked to be claws shaped to look like those of a dragon’s. It was a staff, something that would have been used by a being of magic. No- it was a weapon, the boy corrected himself- if the rumours were to be believed, and the boy was sure they were true. This staff had killed many before, the gem gleaming even now in the moonlight, seeming to shine in anticipation for its next victim. He grabbed several ordinary blankets from inside his travel knapsack slugged over his shoulder. He wrapped them around the length of the staff, making sure that the entire thing was covered in the brown material. _You won’t be hurting anyone ever again, vile instrument of destruction,_ the boy thought. Now that he had finally found it, he would make sure. He would never let anyone use it for evil, but the world had to know. This secret had been lost from history long enough, and he was going to be the one to reveal it to the world.

He turned around to exit, having got what he came for. On the way out, he noticed a book that had survived rather well the destruction of the event. He briefly read the title, and with a nod, pocketed it in his knapsack. It would help him cover up the story, and decrease the suspicion he knew was starting to show in the others’ eyes. He sighed, not liking the idea of lying to his friend again, but seeing no other way. He just hoped that in the end this would all work out.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Five: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! Yami's introduction, at last! (he only took five chapters to rock up, ahaha~).
> 
> Next Week- Arundel gives Yugi a history lesson, and Ryou is too paranoid for his own good- or is he? Nope, he's totally way too paranoid.


	6. A Thousand Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is A Thousand Words by Savage Garden

     

_You could resurrect a thousand words,_

_to deceive me more and more._

 

Once again Yugi woke to find that he was alone in the room. It was the third time this week that the white-haired boy had left early to go take care of something, only to not return until sundown. After the second day- yesterday- Yugi had voiced his concerns and curiosity as to what Ryou was up to. The other boy had simply said that it was more ‘boring mage duties’ and that he was almost sure he had found what he was looking for, that it might only take him a few more days and a few trips out of town. Yugi wasn’t sure exactly what would happen when Ryou finally finished his quest. Would he leave to return to the Mages College? Would they have to go their separate ways once again? Although Yugi didn’t like the idea of splitting up, he knew it was an inevitability. After all, they had been doing this for several years now, meeting up to travel together for a while before dispersing again somewhere along the way, and although Yugi found comfort in traveling by himself, he also enjoyed the time he spent with Ryou. He was Yugi’s only true friend.

He decided to dismiss that train of thought, springing up out of bed and busying himself with changing into his clothes instead. He was going to go and find Arundel today, since he had promised the dragon he would check up on him and let him know what was going on.

He left his and Ryou’s shared room, making his way downstairs to find Yami actually standing behind the counter today. Over the last few days, Yugi had found that he really enjoyed talking with Yami, and he had come down every day to engage in a conversation with the innkeeper, always ever changing on the topic.

“Yugi, good morning!” Yami said when he noticed Yugi perched at the bottom of the stairwell.

“Morning Yami.” Yugi replied, walking up to the counter and taking a seat in one of the stools. It had become their daily routine, and Yugi always sat in the exact same chair while Yami- more often than not pretending to- busied his hands with cleaning cups or benches while talking with Yugi.

“Can I get you anything today?” Yami asked. He always asked Yugi what he wanted, never assuming anything and always leaving the choice up to the tamer. In a way Yugi really appreciated the respect Yami showed to him- after all, they had only known each other for just under a week, and yet Yugi already felt at home here. It was strange, but the eerie tone that the building had emitted when he and Ryou had first arrived was no longer there, Yugi no longer felt that this place was anything other than warm and cosy. Maybe he was just getting used to it now though.

“Just an orange juice, please. I’m not hungry this morning.” Yugi said, drumming a finger against the wooden surface below him. He traced over the lines in the wood planks while Yami busied himself with fulfilling Yugi’s request. Soon a mug of orange juice was placed on the counter next to Yugi’s wandering hand, and he accepted it with a ‘thanks.’

“So, anything planned for today? You can’t really have come all the way to Rohesia just to sit in my inn all day- not that I don’t mind your company.” Yami smiled, leaning back against the bench behind the counter as he tilted his head toward Yugi.

“Yeah, actually, got some errands to run.” Yugi said, hoping the innkeeper wouldn’t press him more, since he didn’t have an actual excuse planned out, and he wasn’t about to tell Yami that he was going to meet a dragon in the woods. Yami didn’t say anything about it however, he simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“If you’re going outside of the city at all, make sure to be extra careful. There have been some nasty rumours going around about some kind of shadow creatures lurking around the forest. Not sure if they can be believed, they might just be tavern talk, but it wouldn’t hurt to stay vigilant in the matter.” Yami warned, his face serious. Despite the way he tried to sound casual about it, his expression said that he believed the rumours, and that was enough for Yugi to consider the truth of his words.

“Okay, if I do, I’ll be careful, don’t worry.” Yugi smiled, even though he would head straight for the forest after he left. That seemed to soften Yami’s expression.

“Good, I would hate for anything to happen to one of my patrons,” The way Yami had said ‘patrons’ made Yugi think he wanted to say something else instead, but had stopped himself at the last second. “Oh, also, depending on when you’ll be returning, I may be gone. I also have some errands to run today, but hopefully it shouldn’t take too long. Your key will let you in if you find the door locked.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later then. Bye Yami!” Yugi said, finishing off his orange juice before pushing off the counter and leaving the inn, Yami yelling out a goodbye behind him.                                             

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Yugi to leave behind the grand city of Rohesia. It helped that Yami’s inn was so close to the outskirts that Yugi didn’t have to worry about passing through any of the bigger districts and risk getting lost. He made his way through the farming fields and headed out to the dense forest to the west of the city, a line of trees marking the end of the fields and the start of the forest. He served through the thick undergrowth, stopping every now and then to admire a marking on a tree or a bush full of berries. The land around Rohesia was very well nurtured, and was said to never have droughts, and the lake to the east was always plentiful. However, it was the condition of the plants that alerted Yugi to their robust state. He picked a handful of raspberries from a bush he found, popping one in his mouth every now and then as he headed deeper into the forest.

Eventually the trees began to thin out a bit, and Yugi was treated to more grass than bush. One of the mountains that was closer than the distant ones had its base around here somewhere, as Yugi could see it looming above him when he looked up. He reached a spot that resembled a hilltop, the grass jutting out and then seeming to give way to tree tops. Yugi climbed the grassy slope until he was standing at the top of the incline, appreciating the view.

The hill was only a small one, and standing on top of it Yugi was at about eye level with the tree tops. The forest seemed to part away from here, leaving a small clearing around the hill. It seemed like a nice place to set up house or something, with the emptiness around it providing plenty of warning should anyone approach. Yugi decided it would be a good place to call for Arundel. He cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting out the dragon’s name in its language. He waited for a few moments before he heard the soaring wing beats that announced the arrival of Arundel. Sure enough, the dragon soon swooped into view, hovering over the clearing for a moment before descending to land on the hilltop next to Yugi.

 _It’s good to see you again, Yugi. How goes things in Rohesia?_ The dragon asked through the mind link, folding his wings up to settle down in a sitting position by Yugi.

“Yeah, it’s going alright. Ryou’s been busy with his mage quest business, and I’ve been spending the last few days talking to the innkeeper.” Yugi sat down next to the dragon, flicking his hands absently through some grass blades as he spoke.

_Hmm, a new friend, perhaps? You seem quite distracted by him._

“I- What? I so am not!” Yugi blurted, trying to hide the flush creeping up his neck. He hated how easily he seemed to get flustered about the topic, it wasn’t like he was some stable boy trying to get the attention of a pretty farmer’s daughter, why should he have to get so flustered over something so trivial?

_Calm down Yugi. I was just wondering, since your mind keeps drifting back to this inn place._

“Oh, I forgot you can read my mind.” Yugi admitted sheepishly. He would have to try to pocket away some rather embarrassing moments so Arundel couldn’t see them.

 _I’m a dragon, Yugi. We don’t really care about most of the things your kind find… shameful._ The dragon said, trying to search for the right words to express his meaning.

“I guess you’re right…” Yugi yawned, leaning back and falling over onto the soft grass.

_So what is on your mind?_

“Hmmm,” Yugi mulled it over before his eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah! I have something I wanted to ask you. Do you know about something called a demon?”

 _Demons? How do you know of them?_ Arundel turned his head to stare at Yugi, his eyes burning wide in surprise at the question.

“Uhh, I read about it in this old book I found at the wizard’s tower we went to. I’ve been going through a bit of the parts about dragon history, and it said something about a half breed called a demon. It didn’t go into detail, so I was wondering if you knew more about it?” Yugi explained.

_Yes… Well, demons are half breeds, but they are not like humans and elves. They are not like you, at least. Demons are… a special case. Many years ago, there were sacred bonds formed between dragons and humans that had become close to one another. These bonds turned into something greater, that is to say, these two races merged to form a new kind of half breed in their offspring._

“You mean dragons and humans had kids? Is that what a demon is, half human, half _dragon_?” Yugi asked in surprise. Avoiding the obvious question of how that was possible, he couldn’t believe that the two races that had once battled almost to extinction had gotten close enough to, well, have children.

 _I assure you, it’s not as bad as you think._ Arundel’s voice rumbled with laughter. _There is a very logical explanation for it. You see, a dragon has the ability to change their form, if they so desire. It’s not something we do often, since it consumes a lot of energy and renders the majority of our powers useless, but we can transform our appearance into the form of a human._

“Woah, are you telling me you could turn into a human?”

_If I needed to, yes, I could. I… Must admit, I wish I had during the riot those villages put you though back in that town. I could have protected you better if I had._

“It’s alright, Arundel. It’s enough to know you’re here looking out for me. I appreciate it, really.” Yugi said, smiling up at the dragon’s worried face. He stared back, his emerald eyes searching Yugi, before his expression softened a little.

_Thank you, Yugi. You are too kind._

“I wouldn’t say that. I’m more of the cute and yet dangerous kind. Cute on the outside, but a real troublemaker.”

_Hmm hmm. Is that so? And here I was thinking that you were just a naturally nice person. Have you been hiding some dark persona from me, Yugi?_

Yugi could tell Arundel wasn’t been serious from the tone of his voice, but he pursed his lip anyway, playing along. It was good to see the dragon in such a light-hearted mood.

“Ooooh, I can’t tell you that Arundel! If I did, I’d be cursing you with the knowledge of my dark side.” Yugi sprayed his hands in the air, waving his fingers around while cooing ‘oooo mysteryyyy.’

_Really Yugi, this is just so shocking. I can’t believe there’s a whole other side of you I’ve never seen before, even when I can see into everything in your mind._

Oh damn, the dragon had him there. “Well… You can’t see it because, it’s uh, hidden away! Yeah! There’s a passcode protecting that part of my mind, it’s sealed off, and only the magic password can reveal it!”

_Hmmm, what could this mysterious passcode be I wonder? Is it dragon?_

“Not even close.” Yugi scoffed, shaking his head.

_Beast Tamer?_

“Nope.”

_White Mage?_

“Ryou makes for a poor password.”

_Perhaps it is this innkeeper’s name then? The name I have yet to hear, hmm?_

“Gah! It’s so not Yami!” Yugi buried his face in his hands.

_Ahhh, I see. Yami is the mysterious innkeeper’s name that has captured the interest of our dear friend Yugi._

“Oh my gosh Arundel, stooooop! He has not! We’ve only talked three times before!”

_Three whole times? Well, he’s already higher up than me, I’ve got no chance now. It won’t be long before he whisks away little Yugi, and then it’ll be nobody but the mage and I left. It would make for a poor song, I believe. The Dragon and the Mage. Huh, it’s got a bit of a ring to it, I suppose._

“Arundelllllll.” Yugi whined.

_I think I prefer; the Tamer and the Innkeeper._

“No that’s even worst!”

_The legend of the Beast Tamer and Innkeeper Yami._

“Stop!”

_Yami and Yugi. Oh, that one has some alliteration to it._

“No it just sounds stupid.”

_The adventures of Yami and Yugi, then._

“Still horrible.”

_Well I don’t hear any good suggestions coming from you._

“Because I don’t want to give any!” Yugi sighed, exasperated. “Let’s just, talk about something else.”

 _Ahh, but I was finally getting a chance to see the other Yugi, this mysterious other side that only comes out to the fair innkeeper._ Arundel chuckled when Yugi shot him a glare. _Alright, alright. What else did you want to know about demons?_

“Well why are they called demons, for a start? It doesn’t really suit them, wouldn’t dragonlings, or some kind of mixed name work? Hudrags? Hugons? Draman?”

_Dragonlings refers to young dragons, those that are still small and have not yet learnt to fly, so they couldn’t be called that. No, demons is the crude terminology the humans created, although I do fancy some of your names much more. There is no true way to refer to the half-breeds anymore, although dragons tend to just use the term half-breed, since other half-breeds such as yourself aren’t considered half-breed so much. We don’t really see the problem with being born of two different races. Anyway, it is a term used in a harsh way, there is no pride in being called a demon. I guess the name came from the humans’ lack of comprehension. You see, most demons appear human, but contain small characteristics on the outside from the dragons- some have horns, others tails, sometimes both, and rarely you find one born with wings, which used to be a big deal, at least, when I was a dragonling it was. But that was a while ago._

“So in other words, humans hate everything that isn’t human. Not much has changed, then.” Yugi said bitterly.

_Humans fear that which is stronger than they are. They fear the unknown, and therefore if something exists that they are unsure of, they immediately feel threatened by it and tend to lash out blindly. Humans were scared of the dragon half-breeds- or demons- because they felt that it was a form of evolution, since they existed in the form of a human, but were stronger both physically and mentally. And so they began to treat them as being below them, as if having the blood of dragons made you only half human, and therefore not as good as a pure human. Of course, this was nonsense, but with the majority of the population humans, it became common to use such degrading slurs on the half-breeds, essentially coming up with the ridiculous expectation that half-breeds should be ashamed of their mixed blood._

Yugi’s eyes lit up. “Is that what happened to the elves too? Is that why people don’t like that I’m a half-breed?”

_Yes, in a way. The elves aren’t openly shunned as the dragon half-breeds were, however. I can’t say I know as much about the elves, however. They usually keep to themselves, the ones that live away from the human cities, that is. After several incidents years ago involving dragon half-breeds, the dragons decided they would retreat further away from the humans, lamenting the loss of the land that they once roamed._

“That’s right, the dragons used to rule all of Asren. I guess the humans came along and ruined everything, huh?”

_Hmm. But, it does not bode well to hold a grudge. Those that do are often consumed by it. I find that although the humans may have done wrong in the past, there is always a chance to redeem oneself. I’m sure that there is a human out there somewhere destined to change everything. Who knows, perhaps, they are closer than I know._

Yugi caught the looking that Arundel flickered at him, and he blinked in surprise.

“ _Me?_ You think I’m the… But I’m only half human! And besides, I don’t even like that I’m even a bit human. I’d rather be a full elf.” He muttered, kicking the dirt and grass around with his shoes. He didn’t even care that he was getting flakes of dirt on them.

_I know that you don’t like it, Yugi, but you can’t change what you are. Understand that being half human doesn’t make you a bad person, it’s—_

“Your actions that make you evil. Yeah, I know. I.. said something similar before about wizards. Wow, never thought I’d have my words come back around to punch me in the face like that so soon. I guess I’ve been a bit stubborn about this. I really need to work on my superiority complex, ha.”

_Your what complex? What are you talking about Yugi?_

“Oh nothing, don’t worry. Just a conversation I had with a horse once.” Yugi barked out a laugh at Arundel’s expression.

_You certainly are unique, Yugi, I’ll give you that. I’ve never met anyone like you before, dragon or otherwise._

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Yugi tipped his head with a flick of his wrist.

 _Hmm…_ Arundel lifted his head suddenly, his eyes searching the surrounding forest.

“What is it? Trouble?” Yugi asked, getting up to scan the area.

_I don’t think so. But I’m sensing someone else nearby, approaching this area._

“You better hide then, if they’re dangerous, I’ll call out for you.”

 _Very well. Stay safe, Yugi. I have been sensing some disturbing magical energy recently_.

“I will, don’t worry.” Yugi waved him off as Arundel trotted down the cliff, bounding into the tree line when he reached the bottom and disappearing from view. Yugi turned in the opposite direction, watching and listening for any sign of someone approaching. Eventually the sound of twigs snapping and leaves been trampled on could be heard, and from in between the trees Yugi watched as the shadows gave way to a man standing there with a familiar mop of maroon hair.

“ _Yami?”_ Yugi called out in disbelief. The innkeeper’s head snapped in Yugi’s direction, his body flinching in surprise.

“Yugi!? What are you doing out here? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to wander the forest alone?” Yami shouted back as Yugi made his way down the hill until he was by Yami’s side.

“Well, I guess, yeah, but- hey! I could ask the same of you!” Yugi huffed, to which Yami smiled sheepishly.

“Ahaha, you got me there. But I always come out here alone, it’s nothing new to me. You, however, aren’t from the area. What are you doing standing on some hill in the middle of the forest? I’d pass it off as you being lost, but I highly doubt someone with your orienteering experience could get lost in a forest.”

“Yeah, well, I needed to get away for a while I guess. City life isn’t really for me, that’s more Ryou’s aspect of living. Besides, the forest helps clear my thoughts,” Yugi explained, mentally congratulating himself on how quick he came up with his lie, and how natural it sounded. Yami wouldn’t suspect he was lying, let alone that he had been talking to a dragon. “Now it’s your turn!”

“Okay fair enough. I was out collecting ingredients for the kitchen. I had run out of some herbs a few days ago and needed to replenish my stock. I happen to know where some types grow around this forest, so I come out here occasionally to restock.” Yami gestured to a knapsack he had hanging over his shoulder, opening it so Yugi could peer inside. Sure enough, there was a collection of different herbs jumbled together in the bag, a few pieces of fruit mixed in as well.

“I see… Wait, alone?”

“Well it’s not like I have anyone else to come with me,” Yami smiled, his tone kind regardless of his words. “But really, you shouldn’t be out here by yourself, it’s dangerous, what with all these rumours of shadow monsters roaming around, even this close to the city. Here- I’ll walk back with you.” Yami started walking and the two headed back into the trees of the forest.

“Because I’d feel so much safer with an innkeeper protecting me.” Yugi joked, keeping pace beside Yami.

“Hey, I know how to take care of myself,” Yami said, pushing his tunic back to reveal a dagger on his belt. “But I guess you’re right, I know I’d feel a lot safer having a beast tamer watching my back.”

“I don’t know how much protection I could offer against shadow monsters, though. I can’t even say I’ve ever heard of shadow monsters before.” Yugi admitted.

Yami nodded, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. “Well, I don’t think anyone really knows, and I’m not about to go looking for them to find out more. They do exist though, I remember reading something about them once, long ago- must have been from my time at Cyneric. They’re supposed to be creatures summoned by a strong magical being, usually a powerful magician or wizard. Unfortunately I don’t recall reading anything particularly useful about them, such as how to fight them. It was probably a few pages I read on a whim one day. If I hadn’t been notorious for reading a few pages of a book and moving on to another soon after, I may have found something that could have been useful. Alas, I wasn’t a very good reader back in Cyneric.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure you were just too busy working the kitchens to have much time to read. Besides, isn’t that the problem of the council in Rohesia? If there’s a problem involving the city, it’s their job to fix it.”

“That’s true, but- and don’t tell anyone I said this- but I don’t think the mages on the council here at Rohesia are very good at their job.” Yami whispered, a hand cupped over his mouth.

 Yugi laughed, putting a finger to his lips. “Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me, Yami.”

“Good, don’t want the council invoking the right to my inn’s land. I’d really hate to get kicked out of such a fine place. Ah, we’re here.”

Yugi turned to see the makings of buildings in the distance in between the trees, and soon enough they saw the city surrounded by a moat of farmlands.

“At least if anything ever tried to attack you’d see it coming a mile away.” Yugi commented, to which Yami barked out a laugh.

“That’s true, that’s true. I swear those hard heads up in their fancy houses could learn a thing or two from you, Yugi. Or you know, everything, since they’re so clueless, bah.”

“I doubt it. After all, I’m just a lowly Beast Tamer.” Yugi gave a mock half bow, and Yami laughed.

“Don’t ever degrade yourself based on your position in life, Yugi. Sometimes the most humbled person is the one to change everything.” Yami glanced over at Yugi.

“How strangely prophetic of you Yami. But really, I’m no one special, just some lame half-blood who--.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Yugi realised his mistake. He clamped his hands over his mouth, staring wide eyed at Yami, and waiting for his reaction, waiting for the scorn or disgust to show.

But instead, Yami was just staring back at him, his gaze emotionless. He blinked, seeming to notice Yugi’s expression.

“Oh, I’m sorry, was I not supposed to know…?” He asked almost tentatively, frowning in worry.

“Wait… You mean… You _knew?_ ” Yugi choked out. Had he been _that_ obvious, _that_ careless? His hands moved to his ears, feeling for the bangs of hair that he used to cover the points.

“I- yes, I did. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. I’ve met with a lot of half-breeds in the past, so I’ve come to know the patterns they exhibit. I truly didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I apologise.”

“No… No, it’s… It’s okay. It was my fault, really, for letting it slip. But I guess if you already knew, then it doesn’t matter.” Yugi said, unable to help the spite in his tone.

“I won’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about, Yugi. It really doesn’t matter to me what blood runs through your veins. It’s not your blood that makes you a bad person, it’s your actions, right?” Yami said, and Yugi turned to look at him in surprise.

“That’s the second time today someone’s thrown my words back into my face. But… I guess I needed that. If you could keep it a secret, I would appreciate it, thank you.”

“I will, don’t worry. It’s just such a shame that you feel the need to hide your ancestry. Everyone should have the right to be proud of who- and what- they are.” Yami sighed wistfully.

The two walked the rest of the way in relative silence. It wasn’t particularly awkward, but there was a slight tension in the air, which Yugi admitted was mainly coming from him. He was glad Yami hadn’t reacted the way people usually did, but the way he had been so casual about it had Yugi apprehensive. He had so many questions to ask the innkeeper, but none of the courage to do so. Part of him wanted to find a reasonable explanation for the chef’s apparent knowledge on past encounters with half-breeds, but the other part was not sure he wanted to know some of the answers. Being so close to the city already, Yugi couldn’t think of an appropriate time to bring the conversation back, so they continued in silence.

* * *

 

By the time they had returned to Yami’s inn, the sun had begun its downward journey, painting the sky in hues of deep golden yellow and orange. They reached the inn, the building’s dark wooden outline standing out in stark contrast to the grey stone walls painted in the golds of the sky behind. Yugi found it strange that the building didn’t look as blended in as it had when he had first seen it, but he figured with the dying sun’s rays hitting the stones like that nothing could blend in.

“I’ll go ahead and get dinner started,” Yami said as they walked through the inn doors into the common room. “Any requests?”

“Hmm, surprise me.” Yugi shrugged, winking at Yami. Every afternoon Yami asked Yugi what he wanted for dinner, and every time Yugi replied with ‘surprise me.’ It was another one of their patterns they had developed, and neither was in a hurry to stop it.

“Very well, I’ll see what I can do.” And with that said Yami disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Yugi alone with his thoughts.

“Did I miss another fun adventure at the inn today?” A voice popped up behind Yugi. He peered behind him to see Ryou walking towards the counter, propping himself up on a stool next to Yugi’s.

“Not here, I was out taking a walk through the forest when I ran into Yami, and we came back together. I wouldn’t say it was a fun adventure, we didn’t really do anything.” Yugi relayed the day’s events to Ryou, who nodded to show he was listening.

“So you both just happened to be in the same part of the forest at the same time. Coincidence? I think not.”

Yugi rolled his eyes. “You’re looking into this too much. This isn’t like the time you were convinced that cabbage merchant was a secret agent.”

“I’m just keeping a healthy display of suspicion towards our host. You may be best friends already with the guy, but there’s still something I don’t like about him. And besides, that merchant was bloody shifty, you have to admit.” Ryou said, his tone doubtful.

“Come on Ryou, we’re not _that_ close, and besides, you’re still my best friend, don’t worry- no one’s taking you away.” Yugi grinned. He could tell that it wasn’t just suspicion that was leading Ryou on.

“It’s not that, Yugi,” Ryou stated, his tone sounding more serious than before. “I’m just concerned. I can’t shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen soon, and it’s got me on the edge.”

“Well, if it does, we’ll be ready for it, Ryou. Relax.” Yugi assured the other boy, who was frowning at him.

“I hope you’re right…” His voice trailed off, before he lifted an eyebrow at Yugi. “Oh, I almost forgot, I’ve got some places in the surrounding area I’ve got to check out over the next few days. I was wondering if perhaps you’d like to come with me?”

“Sure! Sounds like an adventure, and you know me- I can’t pass up an adventure when it shows up.” Yugi grinned, to which Ryou nodded. “I thought you might say that. We start early tomorrow, be ready to go at dawn.”

* * *

 

Yugi walked up to the bar in the  _Magician's Refuge_ , taking up residence in his usual chair, resting his arms on the solid wooden bar table. He had just gotten back from another of Ryou’s expeditions outside the city, and was quite exhausted.

Yami, as usual, never missed a beat, gliding gracefully over to where Yugi was sitting, whatever job he had been doing left abandoned. Yugi liked the way Yami seemed to drop everything to attend to him, although he figured that seemed a little narcissistic. Yami was just doing what he would for any other customer; serving them promptly and professionally.

“So Yugi, you’re back for some more I see,” Yami said, his infamous welcoming grin resting on his face. “How’d your friend’s quest go? Find some long lost treasure of some ancient ruler today?”

Yugi rolled his eyes, feeling his own face twitch up into a grin; he couldn’t help it, Yami’s expression was contagious. “Not today Yami, although Ryou thinks he’s somewhat closer to solving this mystery mystery he keeps mentioning. You know the one.” Yugi said, gesturing dismissively with his hands.

“Ahhh, yes, the great mystery of the White Mage. Forgive me for not being impressed by his successful find,” Yami gave Yugi a wink, turning slightly to pull a mug up from behind the counter. “What’ll it be today, Yugi? An adventurer has to keep his fluids up if he wants to keep adventuring, after all.”

Yugi scanned the wall of alcohol selections, perusing the many different wines and beers Yami had in stock. With not many customers coming in, Yugi found that Yami’s walls were always full, although he suspected that it might be because the innkeeper had a slight obsession with keeping everything in a neat order.

“I’ll have a… Hmm, tough choice. You got any pear cider in?” Yugi dipped his head to the side in question, looking at Yami hopefully. The other smirked, reaching out to grab a bottle off the shelf without even looking at it, much to Yugi’s surprise.

“Here you go, straight off the wall.” Yami said, enjoying the confused look that passed over Yugi’s face.

“But you, you didn’t even look at it!” Yugi stuttered, looking at Yami in awe.

“Nope, don’t need to, I know where everything on this wall is. An innkeeper must know how to best keep his patrons satisfied. Nothing says satisfied better than alcohol served quick and easy.” Yami said, shrugging his shoulders as if memorising the names and locations of every single bottle was a simple everyday task for him.

“Well, I think it’s an impressive skill.” Yugi mumbled around taking sips from the drink. He looked over at Yami to see the innkeeper’s face clouded over in thought, apprehension in his hazy gaze.

“You all good?” Yugi asked, jolting the other out of their state.

Yami raised an eyebrow. “Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just, you look troubled over something.” Yugi didn’t want to mention how it looked like the innkeeper might have gone into another of those strange far-off looks he had shown during that time in one of their first encounters.

“I do? Hmm,” Yami raised a hand to his chin, contemplating something. “I guess I am feeling troubled.”

“Anything I can help with?” Yugi asked.

“No, it’s fine, although I appreciate the offer, Yugi,” Yami smiled in his direction. “I’m just… worried over these sightings and rumours involving shadow creatures.”

“Are you worried that the city might be in danger?”

“Hmm, I think Rohesia has the power to fend off a few creatures, even if an army would be massing out there- although I hope I’m wrong on that front. It’s more that I’m concerned over why these beasts are showing up. No one seems to know, let alone be worried about it.”

“You make a good point for a supposedly innocent innkeeper.” A voice called behind Yugi, and he turned around to see Ryou making his way over to the counter.

“Ryou, don’t be rude- Yami’s just worried for the city… Right?” Yugi turned between the two, hoping for some back up from Yami.

“…Right. It is, after all, my duty as a citizen of Rohesia to be concerned over the safety of the city. I do live here, and right now I have patrons to look after, who are also in the city currently, and therefore may be at risk from possible attacks from shadow creatures.” Yami replied coolly, his eyes never once leaving Ryou’s. Something seemed to pass between the two, and Yugi wasn’t even sure exactly what was going on. Eventually Ryou spoke up.

“Yes, wouldn’t want to get involved now would we? But, what I don’t seem to understand, is why you’re involved in this. What are you hiding?”

“Ryou, please don-“

“It’s alright, Yugi,” Yami broke his stare with Ryou to smile over at the tamer. “It’s alright to be suspicious of people you don’t know, and you two have only been here two weeks- I can understand if your friend here doesn’t trust me. But I’m not asking for your trust, just your co-operation in keeping everything running smoothly here. I’m not hiding anything so much as leaving out details that aren’t important so as not to waste your time. But you seem to have convinced yourself that they are. Very well then, if you have any questions, Ryou, I can answer them, if it will put your mind at ease.”

The white-haired boy stared at Yami, refusing to break contact or the suspicion etched on his face. “I only have one question for you innkeeper; are you connected to these monsters?”

Yami frowned. “Is that what you’re accusing me of? And here I thought I was framed with murder or something. No, I know nothing of these beasts aside from what I read about them back in Cyneric on a whim one day. I feel something is going on here in Rohesia, but as of yet I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary happening in the city, so, business carries on as usual.” Yami shrugged, signalling an end to the conversation as he busied himself with refilling Yugi’s drink and wiping over an already spotless section of the bench.

“You can apologise now, Ryou.” Yugi glared at his friend who looked innocently back at him. The mage’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he rolled them, saying, “Alright, alright, I get it, that wasn’t very professional of me, drilling for answers. I’m… Sorry, Yami.”

“There’s no need to apologise.” Yami replied, dipping his head. Ryou nodded in return, stalking off back up the stairs to leave Yugi sitting there alone with Yami.

“Er… Sorry he’s so… Stubborn. I swear he’s not normally like this.” Yugi mumbled, fiddling with the rim of his glass.

“It’s fine, I’m sure he’s just upset over this whole issue suddenly appearing during his mages’ quest. White Mages tend to take shadow and death magic very seriously, not to mention personally. He’s probably taken it upon himself to sort out this affair.” Yami mused out loud.

“That sounds like something Ryou would do.” Yugi agreed.

“Well,” Yami said, pushing off the counter and giving a salute to Yugi. “It’s about time I went and got dinner started. Shouldn’t take too long.”

Yugi hummed in agreement, watching the innkeeper disappear through the same door as always. He figured now would be a good time to go talk some sense into Ryou, before dinner.

When he made it to the door of their shared room, he nudged it open to see Ryou sitting propped up against the chair, his head stuck in a book.

“Ryou?” Yugi called softly. The other jerked a little, swinging his head around to see Yugi.

“Oh, Yugi, don’t _do_ that, it’s creepy man. At least knock.”

“Knock to enter my own room?” Yugi mused. “Why don’t you tell me what’s got you so worried?”

“It’s nothing.” Ryou replied. His response came out too fast, and both the boys knew it. “Alright, fine. I just don’t trust this guy as much as you seem to do, okay? My Mage senses are tingling, and I can sense something bad coming. I don’t know when, how or why, but there’s _something_ , and until that feeling passes, I’m not trusting anyone in this city.”

“And you think Yami is mixed up in it?” Yugi’s tone was doubtful.

“I don’t think, Yugi, I _know_ he is. Somehow, he’s involved. I swear he was lying to me downstairs, and I plan to get to the bottom of it, on my word as a White Mage.”

Ryou sounded so serious about all this that Yugi wasn’t sure what he could believe anymore. He trusted Yami, but Ryou was his best friend, and he had known Ryou for far long than the two weeks he’d known Yami. He had to admit, something didn’t add up, but a part of him didn’t want to believe that Yami was involved in some shady side business.

He sighed, shaking his head to chase the thoughts away. “Alright Ryou, I trust you, but,” He held out a hand to stop Ryou from interrupting. “I also trust Yami. I’ll admit something seems wrong in this city, but I don’t believe Yami’s involved. You’re going to need proof on that front. And until then, could you at least try to be nicer to him?”

Ryou looked out the window for a moment, suspicion clouding his gaze. After a moment, he closed his eyes, sighing. “Alright Yugi, you win, I’ll stop being so disbelieving of the guy. I suppose I was being a bit unfair.” He admitted.

“It’s alright,” Yugi grinned, tapping his friend on the shoulder. “Now let’s go grab dinner, say what you want about Yami, but you’ve got to admit the guy knows how to cook!”

“Way better than me.” Ryou admitted painfully.

* * *

 

 

Just as Yugi was about to drift into the dark confides of sleep, a rough hand jerked him fully awake. He opened his tired eyes, moving his mouth to mumble something out before a hand clamped over his mouth and his eyes shot fully open. He relaxed when he saw the white-haired frame of Ryou’s face, a finger pressed to his lip as he looked from Yugi to the door. He bent down next to Yugi’s ear, his breath brushing hot against the bangs that sat on top.

“I heard something moving out there, I’m going to look. Stay here.” He whispered, moving off of Yugi and the mattress, Yugi pushing himself up on his elbows to get a better view.

The tamer jumped out of bed as quietly as he could muster, grabbing his cape and fastening it around him as he followed out the door after Ryou- he didn’t have time to bother with his gloves and belts. The mage stopped at the top of the stairs, glancing behind him as he saw Yugi exiting the room.

“I’m coming too.” Yugi whispered when he was close enough to the other boy. Ryou just rolled his eyes with a nod, continuing down the stairs.

They heard another sound upon reaching the bottom floor, Ryou pushing Yugi back as they saw a familiar figure walk out the front door, closing it behind them with the faintest creak.

“Was that…?” Yugi started, unsure if he wanted to continue asking for fear of what the answer would be.

“Yeah, it was,” Ryou confirmed, starting forward again and leaving Yugi to follow behind him. “It’s about time I found out what’s really going on with this guy.”

Ryou’s words left Yugi clutching his chest, a deep feeling weighing down in his gut. This didn’t mean anything, right? It was all just some crazy coincidence. This didn’t mean that Ryou had been right all along about Yami, right?

“M-Maybe he’s just going out for a late night stroll, Ryou. We should be minding our own business and going back to sleep…” Yugi tried to reason, with himself as much as with the other boy.

“You don’t even believe that yourself, Yugi, and besides, there’s something not right about this, and I’ll be damned if I just look the other way over it.”

Yugi sighed, Ryou was right. He did feel as if something was wrong too. He just wished his gut wrenching feeling would go away.

The two moved as quietly as possible, trailing behind the innkeeper away from the inn and out into the fields, trying their best to hide in the open space behind wheat fields and anything that could provide cover. Soon they reach the tree line that signalled where the farmlands ended and the forest begun.

“He’s heading into the forest.” Yugi whispered.

 “Do you know where he’s going?” Ryou asked in surprise.

Yugi pursed his lips, watching the thin figure of the innkeeper meld into the shadows cast by the trees. “I’ve got a feeling, I ran into him out in the western forest about a week ago- the day I went to see Arundel. He said he had been out collecting herbs, and he had- I saw them myself. Maybe he’s just going out to get some more…?” Yugi couldn’t help the waver in his voice, he was starting to believe what Ryou was saying. But surely Yami wasn’t doing anything bad, right? Maybe he really was just out collecting supplies. What right did they have to snoop around the innkeeper’s business, anyway? Although they had only known the innkeeper for roughly two weeks now, Yugi still held onto that small feeling of trust he had developed with the man.

“In the middle of the night? I doubt it,” Ryou’s scoff brought Yugi’s attention back to where his white-haired friend was making a move to follow where Yami had disappeared to. “He’s up to something Yugi, I can sense something wrong about all of this.”

Yugi reluctantly agreed with his friend as the two found the path Yami was taking through the woods, tailing the innkeeper at a safe distance while also remaining within eyesight of him. They travelled deeper into the forest, and Yugi began to notice some familiar aspects of the trees and landscape they passed. Soon enough, a clearing came and Yami stepped out from the tree line to make his way over to a hill slide that looked all too familiar to Yugi. It was the place he had met Arundel at, and also the place he had stumbled into Yami on that same day.

The innkeeper stopped, his back to Yugi and his head swerving to either side. He looked to be searching for something, but what Yugi wasn’t sure about. After a moment, Yami seemed to have made a choice, as he paced up the hill and sat down at the top.

 _That can’t be all he came out here at midnight to do,_ Yugi frowned. He could tell by the look on Ryou’s face that the other boy was thinking the same thing. As much as Yugi didn’t want to admit it, Yami was definitely hiding something from them. He hoped it was all just some kind of big misunderstanding, and that come tomorrow they would all be laughing over it back at the inn, but a part of Yugi knew that that was a false hope.

A sudden pressure on his shoulder made Yugi look over to see Ryou bring a finger over his mouth, signalling for Yugi to stay silent. He jerked his head in Yami’s direction, and Yugi followed his gaze to where Yami was still sitting. He frowned, obviously not seeing what Ryou was. After searching for a moment, he went to open his mouth and ask Ryou what was going on when he saw something move in his peripheral vision. It was the faintest thing, the smallest of movement, but it was enough to set the alarm bells off in Yugi’s mind. Something else was _here_. They weren’t alone anymore.

He turned his head sharply to catch a better look at what he had seen, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Dark, curling wisps of shadows appeared from where the trees met the clearing’s grass blades. In the middle of each patch of shadow- for Yugi noticed that there were several clumps emerging- there was a lump of solid form, shapes jutting out to make the silhouette of a small beast of some kind. Strands as thick as Yugi’s arm were streaming in front of each one, and the whole of the beings just looked pitch black, their bodies appearing five times bigger than they were from the night’s pale moonlight.

Yugi gasped, looking at Ryou who wore an equally shocked face. He noticed Yugi’s movement and turned to face him, mouthing two words. ‘ _Shadow creatures_.’ The monsters strode forward, their focus narrowing down on one spot. When Yugi realised, he couldn’t help another gasp of shock escaping his mouth. They were heading towards Yami.

Yugi wanted to run forward and warn the innkeeper, his mind reeling over the idea of watching Yami struggle to fight off the offending creatures. He hadn’t even seemed to have noticed the monsters yet, slowly lurking up the hill towards him. Yugi counted three of the creatures, more than enough to no doubt overpower the innkeeper. He looked to Ryou, whispering, “We have to do something, Yami’s in danger!”

“No, I don’t think he is,” Ryou’s expression hardened as he face continued to stare ahead. He lifted a finger, pointing towards the hill. “Look.”

Yami had gotten to his feet now, but was still looking out over the ledge of the cliff, his direction meaning he had no vision of the creatures lurking up the strip behind him. _What are you doing, Yami? Run!_ Yugi mentally sent out, hoping that his thought waves would reach the innkeeper somehow. He didn’t understand why Ryou seemed so calm and collected. Did he know or see something Yugi could not?

Yugi’s answer came when the creatures decided to charge at Yami, rushing forward while screeching out some horrible battle cry. Everything that happened next was over in the span of thirty seconds, the movements so fast Yugi almost missed them. Yugi saw Yami grab something at his side, fling that same arm around in front of one of the beasts, stab forward into the second, and twirl around to make a throwing motion at the third. All three of the shadow creatures jerked in unnatural ways before they all disappeared in a cloud of shadowy smoke. Nothing remained where they had just been standing, not a single piece of evidence to suggest that there had just been three shadow beasts here tonight.

He still wasn’t entirely sure of what just happened, but Yugi was almost certain that he had just witnessed Yami the innkeeper take down three shadow creatures in one single blow.

“What,” He heard Ryou whisper beside him. “The _bloody_ hell was _that_?”

 

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Six: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got very carried away with Arundel and Yugi's conversation. it was just way too much fun to write sassy Arundel xD  
> Next Week- Yugi and Ryou discuss what they've seen, tension is at an all time high and confrontations happen, and Yugi is more confused than me trying to learn the Yugioh TCG.


	7. Land of Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is Land of Confusion by Genesis

 

_Now did you read the news today?_

_They say the danger’s gone away._

_But I can see the fire’s still alight,_

_They’re burning into the night._

                                                               

They waited until Yami had left the field far behind until they dared to breathe again.

“W-What was…?” Yugi stuttered, unable to finish the sentence. He looked over at Ryou to see his face had hardened, none of the conflict that Yugi had present in the mage’s.

“I told you,” Ryou whispered, standing up and staring off at the empty field. “He’s involved in this. I was right all along.”

“But he was fighting them, right? That’s good, right?” Yugi asked, hoping Ryou could see the pain across his face and would answer the way he wanted him too. As it turned out, Ryou could see his pained expression, but it seemed he didn’t care that much as he spoke.

“Whether or not he’s fighting against the shadow creatures doesn’t matter, Yugi. The fact is, he lied to us when he said he wasn’t involved. Tell me- if he’s a good guy here, then why would he lie about that? Something’s not right.” Ryou’s words stung more than Yugi thought they would, and he visibly winced from the harshness of them. He knew Ryou never took a liking to the innkeeper, but the way he spoke so harshly of him made Yugi wonder if there was something more to Ryou’s point of view.

“I… Guess you’re right,” Yugi sighed. “So what happens now? Should we confront Yami about this?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I’m not sure letting him know we know about this is such a good idea, but on the other hand, I want answers, and he can only give them if we corner him, that way he has no way to talk himself out of it.” Ryou pondered out loud, only half speaking to Yugi. The tamer didn’t respond, opting to concentrate on the way his legs moved as they walked instead. Ryou must have been waiting for an answer, for he didn’t speak for the next few minutes as they walked on in a stretched silence. Finally it seemed the mage had had enough of Yugi’s sudden muting.

“Yugi.” Ryou’s voice was low, almost annoyed.

“What, Ryou?” Yugi couldn’t help responding to the bite Ryou had in his voice with one of his own. Ryou didn’t immediately reply, staring at Yugi instead, the smallest flash of concern starting to work its way into his gaze.

“I know you don’t want to believe it, I get that,” He sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Your ability to always see the good in someone is uncanny. Just promise me you won’t interrupt when I question him, alright? That way, we can both get the answers we need.”

“Okay Ryou, I promise. Just don’t go accusing him of everything, okay? We need to hear his side of the story as well.” They both nodded, an agreement finally made. For the rest of the way back to the inn Ryou didn’t bring up the impending interrogation at all, much to Yugi’s gratitude.

                                                               

* * *

Back at the inn, Yugi’s anxiety over the situation was working overdrive. He realised he was constantly at risk of blurting out to Yami that he and Ryou had seen what he had done last night, but he always caught himself at the last minute, earning him a concerned look from Yami on more than one occasion. The whole next day he spent the majority of the daylight early hours pretending to sleep, and when Ryou forced him to get up later on, pouring over his maps. He could tell Ryou knew he was avoiding talking to Yami, and was made even more so when he spoke up about it.

“Yugi, you should probably go talk to him. He’s going to get suspicious if you don’t act how you normally do, heck he’s probably already guessed that we snuck out after him.”

Yugi sighed. “Believe me, I know, Ryou. It’s just…I’m worried if I do, I’ll accidentally say what happened, and then everything will get super awkward, and I just really don’t want to deal with that.”

“You’re worrying too much about it,” Ryou said, tossing a shrug his way. “Just go down and talk to him like you always do.”

“Yeah, but –“

“No ‘but’s,” Ryou stood up, grabbing Yugi’s arm and pulling his lanky frame up as well, pushing him towards the door. “Go on, go do something instead of pouting around the room all day!”

Yugi turned around to quip back a witty remark, something like ‘says the guy whose doing just that!’ but before he could open his mouth to speak, Ryou had closed the door, the sound of a lock clicking into place signalling that he was now locked out of his own room. Well, _shared_ room.

 _Great,_ he thought bitterly. _He’s forcing me to go see Yami now._ Yugi admitted that he _did_ actually want to talk to Yami again, but he didn’t want to run the risks that came with such a meeting. _Maybe I am over exaggerating this whole thing. Ryou makes a good point, and it’s not like I_ believe _he’s guilty of anything… right?_ Yugi mentally scolded himself for asking questions in his head. By this point he was almost sure he was going insane to some degree, and decided to promptly ignore the side of him that was arguing otherwise. He didn’t have time to be second guessing himself.

Yami was in his usual place by the bar when Yugi walked downstairs. Yugi waved in greeting, and the innkeeper practically jumped for joy at seeing him.

“Yugi! Hey! How’s it going?” Yami asked cheerily. Yugi wondered why he seemed so upbeat today, considering a just the other night he had been fighting shadow beasts in the middle of a forest. _You promised to give him a chance to explain himself._ But Yugi also promised Ryou he wouldn’t interfere.

“I’m doing fine, thanks. What about yourself?”

“Can’t complain, although I wish the council would do something about all these nasty rumours about. It’s making it quite difficult to collect the ingredients I need.” Yami replied, his head ducking under the counter in search of something.

“Rumours?” Yugi’s interest piked. Was he talking about the shadow creatures?

“Yeah, some rattling stuff going around, spooking up the produce section. Nothing for folks out of town to worry about- I won’t bore you with the details. Trust me, they are quite boring,” Yami laughed, shaking his head as it reappeared over the bench, a mug clasped triumphantly in his hand. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Yeah, actually. Some ale if you’re go it, please. I didn’t realise I was so thirsty.” Yugi said, scratching his cheek sheepishly. He had spent all morning holed up in the room, without a single source of nourishment. He was beginning to realise how hungry he was too, but he decided not to bother the innkeeper with that as well.

Yami produced a bottle of what Yugi assumed was ale, and poured it carefully into the mug he had placed on the bench just before. Once full, he pushed the mug up to Yugi, who took it gratefully and downed the liquid in one go. Yami held the bottle out, tipped slightly as if to refill the mug. “Another round, perhaps?” Yugi nodded quickly, and his mug was refilled promptly.

“Thanks,” He said in between gulps. The cold drink felt good against his parched throat, and not for the first time he was grateful Yami was so good at making his drinks just the way he knew his patrons wanted them. “I really needed that.”

“Been busy working away at Ryou’s great mystery, have we?” Yami teased, and Yugi couldn’t help but smile. Somehow Yami knew just how to make him forget about the raging voices in his mind. The irony of the thought wasn’t lost on Yugi, though.

“Something like that. He made me promise not to interfere in something he feels he has to do, and I’m kind of uncomfortable with the whole situation.” Yugi admitted, careful not to mention anything relating to the events of that night. Yami seemed to be thinking Yugi’s words over, tilting his head in consideration.

“Well, if it’s something that you feel isn’t right, you should say so to him,” He began. “Most of the time, gut feelings tend to be right. What is it about the situation that makes you uncomfortable- if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s fine, It’s just... I guess it’s just that I feel like somehow the trust has been broken. I thought I could trust him, and…” Yugi trailed off, suddenly realising what he was saying. “I- er… Sorry, I guess this is kind of personal. Sorry.” He mumbled off several apologies, to which Yami raised a hand in silence.

“It’s alright, Yugi, I understand. We all have our secrets, and if you don’t feel comfortable parting that knowledge to someone, you shouldn’t- I won’t hold it against you.” He smiled at the last words, his expression genuine.

 _And I happen to know why you understand secrets so well…_ Yugi shook his head, throwing the thought away. Here was Yami trying to be nice and cheer Yugi up, and all he was doing was second guess everything the other was saying.

“Thanks, Yami. I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” He replied. He turned to Yugi, looking thoughtful for a moment before he continued. “You should go visit the city tomorrow, see the sights and what not. It’s not that I don’t enjoy your company- because I do, greatly. It just can’t be doing you good to be cooped up in my inn all day long, and you seem a bit edgy recently. Maybe a day out in the city will help clear your mind?

“Um, cities aren’t really my kind of thing, you know…” Yugi started, searching for some kind of excuse to use, but the look on Yami’s face said he thought otherwise, as if he knew Yugi was just grasping at straws.

“Well, it was only a suggestion. You don’t have to if it will make you uncomfortable. It’s just that I have to go out tomorrow to collect some things, and I’d hate for you to be sitting around here bored all day.” Yami said.

“Where are you going?” Yugi asked curiously.

“Just into the city myself. Supply shopping and what not, things I need that I can only get from the produce areas of the market. I don’t nurse my own animals after all.” Yami replied.

“Okay, I’ll think about your advice.”

“That’s all I can ask,” Yami smiled. “Now, how about I get started on dinner for tonight. Any suggestions?”

“Surprise me.” Yugi returned the smile. He didn’t realise he was already feeling a bit lighter about everything.

                                                              

* * *

The next day Yugi decided to heed Yami’s advice to go into the city for the day. Even if it was to just look around- he was quite short on coin, after all- it would be a good way to take his mind off of all the things plaguing it.

He said a quick goodbye to Ryou, who looked baffled at Yugi’s sudden change in attitude, but said nothing on the matter. Maybe he was just glad Yugi wasn’t going to spend another day brooding in their shared room.  

“I’ll be back later!” Yugi shouted as he tore down the stairs, not waiting for any reply. He stopped to wave goodbye to Yami awkwardly, who returned the gesture enthusiastically.

“Going out I see.” He commented.

“Yeah, decided to take your advice, might do me some good, I know Ryou will certainly appreciate me not sulking in the room.”

“I see,” Yami said softly, his mouth twitching into a frown for a split second. He shook his head, the smiling returning. “Well, have fun today! Maybe I’ll see you around.”

Yugi nodded, turning around to head outside out the door, not noticing Ryou padding down the stairs and watching him go.

                                                              

* * *

Ryou stood there as Yugi took off out the door. He seemed to be cheering up over the whole issue. Which was good for Ryou, it meant it would be easier for him to deal with Yugi’s reactions later.

“So, he tells me he’s been sulking in his room these past few days…” Yami said, his voice loud in the empty room. He knew Ryou was there on the staircase.

Having his location known, Ryou walked down into the room, sliding across the hall until he was right in front of the counter, all the while maintaining eye contact with the innkeeper.

“Indeed.” Ryou replied, watching the other’s movements as he leaned back over the bench. They didn’t say anything for a moment, either refusing to look away, neither wanting to give ground.

“What could that be over, I wonder? Just two days ago he seemed fine…” Yami’s eyes narrowed, and Ryou’s followed in suit.

“Don’t play dumb, innkeeper,” Ryou hissed, fed up with the game the other was playing. “We both know what this is about. Why don’t you tell me who you really are?”

Yami’s gaze faulted for a split second- short enough for Ryou to wonder if he was seeing things- before hardening. “My name is Yami, an innkeeper of Rohesia. What more do you want?”

“You really expect me to believe that?” Ryou asked sceptically. “ _You_ don’t even believe that. I’d even go so far as to say Yami’s not even your real name.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yami said, catching his stutter quickly, but Ryou still noticed.

“You don’t seem so confident now,” He observed coolly. “Something to hide, or did I just hit a point?”

Yami glared at him, but there was no emotion behind it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mage Ryou. I would appreciate it if you would stop interrogating me- I have work to do.”

“Oh, but of course. Another trip out to the forest, I presume? Those Shadow creatures aren’t going to kill themselves after all.” Ryou drawled out, noticing the flash of panic that consumed the innkeeper’s face momentarily before that stone polite expression returned. _The guy is very good at hiding his emotions, perhaps_ too _good_ , Ryou noted. _I wonder why…_

“I see. You two did follow me out that night.” Realisation dawned on his face as the innkeeper sighed.

Ryou snorted. “You don’t fool me; I know you already knew we were there. You honestly expect me to believe your supposed ignorance?”

“I was hoping I was wrong in my assumptions,” Yami admitted, “But I see I was wasn’t. What I don’t understand is- why?”

“Why we followed you?” Ryou clarified. Yami nodded. “Because I’ve been watching you, and the story you told Yugi just doesn’t work out.”

“You’ve been watching me? You have little trust in strangers I see- a feeling I understand well- but still, what tipped me off? What made you think I was some greater power than just a simple innkeeper?” Yami almost sounded amused, which only served to make Ryou twitch in annoyance.

“To a common person, your disguise works well- you only fooled Yugi because he’s not acquainted to the mind games people of higher power tend to play,” Ryou scoffed. “And even then he still trusts you.”

“I know,” Yami sighed sadly, his tone wistful. “I’m sorry to have to break his trust like this. Believe me when I say I would have told him if I could.”

“But it doesn’t matter anymore, since we know now,” Ryou snapped before pausing. “What do you mean if you could?”

“It’s… complicated.”

“When is it not?”

“I’d rather not say…”

“You do realise I’m not leaving until you tell me who you are and what you’re up to.”

Yami looked up, and Ryou held his gaze. “I can’t tell you everything. I’ve… come too far to have to start over again.”

“What do you mean?” Ryou frowned, suddenly confused. He had been expecting the innkeeper to admit to whatever he was involved with in the shadow creatures. Maybe he was just fighting against them, like Yugi seemed to believe. Ryou would have certainly been prepared to apologise if that was the case, but his senses had been telling him there was something more, something greater at work here. But the way Yami was talking was throwing Ryou’s suspicions into another whole area.

“I can’t tell you. It’s… Not my place to say. I don’t want you and Yugi to get involved, it will get dangerous fast. I’ve already broken his trust, I don’t want to add more to the stack of my faults.”

“I guess I was wrong. You’re not him.” Ryou said quietly, but Yami heard him all the same. “Him? Who did you think I was?”

“Someone I’ve been looking for for a while now,” Ryou saw the apprehension on Yami’s face, and decided to continue on. _He might not be him, but he might know something. All I have to do is get a reaction out of him…_ “Ever heard of an event a few years ago that was wiped from history, location and all?”

Ryou could see Yami was trying to hide his emotions, but the mage didn’t miss how his eyes widened at the mention of an event. “It was said what happened in this place was so horrible that the ones involved wiped the location, and all names involved in the event clean from memory. Commoners and royals alike don’t know of this event. Of course, I don’t expect you’ve heard of it, being the innocent innkeeper you claim to be…” Ryou trailed off, his eyes never leaving Yami’s. He noticed that the innkeeper’s hands had started clasping and unclasping while Ryou was talking, a trail of sweat running down his face. _He’s getting uncomfortable with this information. He does know something about the event…!_

“But, on the small off chance that, I dunno, you somehow _know_ about this…”

“And why do you suspect that I know of this event, if it was wiped from history? They don’t really prioritise innkeepers on the list of important people in the country.” Yami said, his voice wavering slightly. His words only served to confirm Ryou’s suspicions. He knew Yami was involved somehow, regardless of how much the innkeeper tried to deny it.

“I don’t know, maybe you’re telling the truth, and you really don’t know about this event- I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. You’ve probably never heard of the name, either,” Ryou watched Yami’s reaction- the quick intake of a shaky breath, the dilation of his pupils. Something was up; the innkeeper was beginning to freak out over this.

“After all, how would a simple innkeeper of Rohesia named Yami know of the Great Wizard A—“

“Enough!” Yami shouted, his hands shooting up to his face as he buried it within them. “E-Enough, don’t… Don’t say it.”

“Say what? I was just saying how you probably didn’t know about the –“

“Stop! Don’t say it, _please_ ,” He muttered through his hands, shaking his head. “What do you want from me, Ryou?”

“The truth.” Ryou said simply.

Yami lifted his head out of his hands, frowning. His expression turned dark, and his eyes blazed like a wild fire. “You cannot handle the truth of the situation, White Mage. You do not understand the forces you are dealing with. There’s a reason that event was wiped from history.”

“I think I have a good idea,” Ryou growled. “And what would you know? What is your role in this?”

“This is neither the place nor the time for this. I cannot say,” Yami said quickly. He walked around the bar counter, standing closer to Ryou. “I have supplies to get for dinner tonight. This conversation is over.” He strode away, heading for the door.

“So you’re just going to run?” Ryou shouted at his retreating form. Yami paused momentarily, but didn’t turn around. He continued walking. “You can’t avoid this, innkeeper! I _will_ find the truth, I swear it!”

“You may find,” Yami called back to him. “That when you discover it, you may not want to know the truth after all.” And with that, the innkeeper left, leaving Ryou standing there staring out the door.

                                                           

* * *

It was a good idea, Yugi decided, to go into the city today. The streets were buzzing with people, but Yugi found he didn’t feel compressed nor claustrophobic about it. In a way, it was pleasant- nobody looked at him strangely or scoffed at his adventuring clothes. He got the feeling that people in Rohesia were used to strangers passing by, a constant stream filtering in and out of the city daily.

He went down several streets, passing by the produce market- which was _massive_ \- but didn’t catch the innkeeper’s mope of maroon hair anywhere amongst the stalls. _Maybe he hasn’t left yet_ , Yugi thought. He decided not to dwell on it, it’s not like he wouldn’t see Yami ever again- the innkeeper would be back at the inn tonight for dinner. Yugi found it strange how his thoughts even now still drifted back to the innkeeper. Why couldn’t he get Yami out of his mind? _It’s strange, Ryou is the only other person I’ve had a real bond with, everyone else just fazes out of my life at some point._ Would he forget Yami when he left Rohesia? _Could_ he forget him? Right now, Yugi found it hard to think about anything other than the mysterious innkeeper for more than a fleeting moment. But what made Yugi think he was mysterious? There was the nasty business with the shadow creatures- that was true. And in a way that _was_ mysterious. Yugi has already made up his mind about that. He was sure he had seen Yami fighting _against_ the creatures- Ryou couldn’t deny that as well, the mage was just sceptical about anyone involved in dark magic. Yugi was sure he could find a way to convince Ryou that Yami wasn’t the threat the mage made him out to be.

 _I should have more faith in my friends,_ Yugi scolded himself. He had been second guessing Yami and Ryou for the past few days now, and he was tired of being unsure about everything. He just wished everything was as simple as adventuring. People confused him. He preferred to examine plants and game trails over engaging in conversations to entertain the whims of royals or nobles. He couldn’t understand how Ryou put up with it at the college. Then again Ryou seemed to be well acquainted to the ways of political matters, both inside cities and out. He guessed it had something to do with being a mage, and growing up around people of high power.

He looked up from his thoughts, noticing he had stopped in front of a shop’s door. The outside was decorated in a thick wall of plants, Yugi saw some ivy weaved in amongst other species he couldn’t remember the names of. The flora appeal was very natural looking, and Yugi found himself drawn to the smooth wooden door in the center of the thick vines. Without thinking about it much, his hand was already on the door, turning the knob to swing the chunk of wood forward.

When he entered the shop, his nose was immediately assaulted by a variety of different scents, many of them coming from plants and herbs scattered across the room. Yugi could easily identify the scents of lavender, camomile, basil; the combination was intoxicating to say the least. Not to mention the camomile was beginning to make Yugi’s eyelids heavy. He shook his head, swatting a hand in front of his face as if it would chase away the smells. He heard the sound of beads clicking together and suddenly there was another person in the room, a tall lanky man with the beginnings of a goatee protruding from his chin.

“Can I help you?” He asked, his voice not unkind. There was a breezy air to him, like nothing that walked into his shop could faze him. Yugi secretly envied the man that.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just passing by and saw your door. It was very impressive- it drew me in.” Yugi commented. The man raised an eyebrow, his eyes travelling up and down Yugi’s form. “Truly? Well, I guess the door can have that effect on people.”

“You have so many plants around here,” Yugi muttered, his eyes wide as he looked around in awe. “I’ve never seen so many different varieties in one place. What is this place anyway?”

“On first glance, you’d say a herb shop, right?” Yugi nodded. “Well, it’s actually not. It’s an antique store. We use the countless herbs around the shop to help with the process of our products. Can I interest you in anything?”

“Oh, no thanks, I’m just looking.” Yugi admitted. He heard a hum of acknowledgement from the shop keeper, and allowed his eyes to dart around the room as he took in the details.

He was correct in the types of herbs and plants he had noted before- they hung from pots, and lined the surfaces of old wooden tables and desks. Yugi could definitely see the appeal to the shop.

“So you new around here kid?” The shop keeper asks casually.

“Uh, yeah actually- I’ve only been here for a few weeks.” Yugi replied.

“I see. What do you think of the city?”

“I haven’t actually seen that much of it, but what I have seen is lovely.”

“Not much? What have you been doing for two weeks?”

“I’ve, uh, been visiting the surround woods and forest. It’s all very nice and calming out there.” Yugi said with a nervous laugh. The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, his hand coming up to tug at his goatee. “Really? But the city’s so full of life and people at this time of the year- I find it hard to believe you’d want to be anywhere else! And besides, haven’t you heard? Those woods aren’t so safe right now, according to some rumours of nasty beasts out there. You never know when some pesky magic folk are going to stir up trouble.”

Yugi shifted uncomfortably under the other’s gaze, bitting his lip. He desperately wanted to call the shopkeeper out on his rude comment, but he didn’t want to risk insinuating that he was _one_ of those ‘magic folk’ by defending them. The man opened his mouth to say something else- and Yugi didn’t like the cruel glint he saw shine in those eyes- when he was interrupted.

“Ah, there you are, Lamont,” A deep voice called out, and Yugi felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see two bright crimson eyes staring down at him. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” _Lamont?_  

“Yami?” Yugi asked, surprised. Yami nodded at him before turning to the shopkeeper. “Excuse us.” The shopkeeper looked like he wanted to argue, but the challenge burning in Yami’s eyes swayed him to keep his mouth shut, instead grumbling something before making a bee line for the back door he had entered through.

“Let’s go- don’t look back now, just keep walking,” Yami whispered in his ear, pushing him out the door. They didn’t stop until they were outside in another alley a few streets over. Yami finally let go of Yugi then, and he spun around to raise an eyebrow at the innkeeper.

“That’s one shop you really don’t want to go to. Trust me, Yugi. That guy probably knew you had non-human blood, and I don’t think he was going to be overly friendly about it. That shop is notorious for luring in half bloods and non-humans alike with strange ways to publically shame them. It’s not the best, nor is it morally right, but this city is full of scumbags like him.” Distaste was painfully evident in Yami’s voice, and Yugi didn’t miss the snarl that came out, surprising him slightly. Clearly Yami didn’t approve at all of this.

“How do you know that?” Yugi frowned.

“I’ve been here for a while, Yugi. I know my way around, and more importantly, who to stay away from.”

Yugi could only nod at that- he owed Yami for saving him from a potentially dangerous situation. “Thanks. For the save, I mean.” He said awkwardly.

“No problem.” Yami replied. He looked out of the alley they were in nodding his head in the direction of the exit. Yugi took the hint, and started walking, Yami falling in beside him.

“So Yugi,” Yami spoke as they made their way away out onto a main street. “What were you doing down here? You know it’s quite dangerous to wander down side streets here in Rohesia.”  

“Yeah, I can see that now. But I don’t even know how I got there. It was like I was… Drawn to it.”

Yami frowned, looking down at Yugi in concern. “I believe it was because of a charm placed on the door to that shop. I could sense a strong kind of energy coming from it, but it didn’t feel alluring to me, so perhaps it doesn’t work on humans as much as…” Yami waved his hand, signalling something more, and Yugi understood.

“You mean my—“

“Yes, shush best not to mention it out loud. Even the walls have ears here. But that is what I meant, yes.”

“Oh…” Yugi found he couldn’t formulate a decent enough reply, so instead he just nodded mutely. Yami must have taken it as a sign to end the conversation, as he said nothing else, and the two walked in silence, each standing close together but staring out opposite sides of the street.

During this lull in the conversation, Yami spent time walking through the stalls, his gaze wandering over some of the stalls, his attention caught by varying fruits and nuts. Yugi felt a burning question on his mind, something that had been bugging him since the night he had seen Yami in the forest, but he was too afraid to ask it. When the words tried to form in his throat, his tongue fuzzed up, and his mouth went dry, words seemingly impossible to get through. His feet shuffled restlessly on the ground, crunching dirt underneath as he squirmed and struggled with the task. He noticed Yami had finished perusing the stall he had been in, and had returned to Yugi’s side. He seemed to have noted Yugi’s internal struggle, voicing his worry.

“Something wrong, Yugi?” Yami asked, a concerned frown on his face. Yami’s voice was enough for Yugi to push through, and he felt the words leaving his mouth before he could second guess them anymore.

“Hey, Yami… Can I ask you something?” Yugi said softly, hesitating slightly. The innkeeper seemed to hesitate, looking to the side, tilting his head.

“Of course you can, Yugi.”

“Um, alright then… This is going to sound kind of silly, but…”

“No question is ever wrong, Yugi. After all, without knowledge you cannot survive in this world- and how do you gain knowledge unless you voice your uncertainty?”

Yugi blinked at Yami’s strangely prophetic words. He agreed with what the innkeeper was saying, but there was something off about his voice, almost as if he didn’t trust what he was saying himself. “That… makes sense.”

“Indeed. Now tell me, what was your question, Yugi?”

“Can I… Can I trust you?” Yugi bit his lip, regretting the words as soon as he said them. _I knew this was a stupid question. I can’t believe I just asked him that, damn it he’s going to think I’m so –_

Yami started laughing, snapping Yugi out of his rapid-fire thoughts.

“You ask it as if afraid I might devour you,” he choked out through the laughter. He suddenly straightened, the chuckles dying out as his expression became more serious. “But to answer your question, I suppose it’s a matter of personal opinion.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, trust is something earned, not asked for, Yugi. To trust in someone means you have a belief in them, a sort of reliance in that person. So perhaps the better question is, can you rely on me. Personally, when I was younger, years ago, I never fully understood the act of giving someone your complete trust. I couldn’t understand how people could trust so openly. I could trust people, and I could see that others relied on me, but to give someone your complete faith? To be able to fight side by side without means of communication, nor any split second fear that they didn’t have your back? It was a strange concept to me and even now I find it to be more myth than fact. After all, we are all naturally flawed- it’s how we’re born. So to be able to trust in someone enough to give them your complete faith, your entire _being_. It’s… It’s a lot of power, not to mention a vast subject. Not something to really discuss on a walk down the market.” He smiled gently.

“I guess I sort of understand what you mean.” Yugi said softly, thinking it over. He did raise some good points. He looked over at the innkeeper, who was staring off into the distance, a foreign look in his expression. It almost seemed like regret. _What is he thinking about…?_ Yugi found himself wondering what was going through the other’s head. Was he remembering the events of the other night, or was it something more significant, something from deeper in his past?

“Can I ask why the sudden curiosity?” Yami’s voice pulled Yugi out of his musing. He blinked, shifting his gaze to see the innkeeper staring at him intently, his expression soft.

Yugi panicked. It wasn’t like he could just outright tell Yami why he was asking. Somehow he didn’t think that telling the innkeeper that he had been following him into his private affairs would go down well. However Yami seemed to understand his reluctance to talk, instead speaking up again himself. “I’m sorry, perhaps that was rather harsh of me to ask, I guess I was too curious about your curiosity… If that makes any sense.” Yami laughed awkwardly, his eyes trailing off to anywhere but Yugi, as if seeking a distraction.

Yugi, however, blinked in surprise. “Why would it be harsh of you to ask? I mean, I was the one throwing intrusive questions at you- honestly, I should be the one apologising, not you.”

“That may be, but…“ Yami bit his lip, glancing over his shoulder to hide his face. _He sure is acting weird today,_ Yugi thought, images of the other night flashing through his mind. _Maybe what happened that night spooked him more than it did us…_

Yugi wanted to believe Yami, with almost every fibre of his being, but something was holding him back. Maybe it was the feeling of betrayal that refused to disappear, even when Yugi tried his best to ignore it. It crept up his spine and assaulted his nerves until everything felt hyper sensitive, and he had the constant feeling of falling as his stomach churned, making him feel sick regardless of his fine health. He wanted to tell Yami, to ask what happened and have the innkeeper explain everything to him in that always calm tone he carried so well. But he couldn’t- he had promised Ryou that he would wait, and he wouldn’t go behind his friend’s back- wouldn’t _betray_ him. Part of him was also wary of this new change overcoming his friend (because regardless of what he felt- Yugi still considered the innkeeper a friend). Gone was the total control, that cool, calm aura Yami had radiated constantly, wrapped up in his friendly, welcoming voice. Instead it was replaced with a kind of uncertainty he demonstrated in his actions, in the way he tried to remain his positive self, but ultimately began to revert into an expression of guilt and anguish. It was as if cracks were appearing in the mask that was the innkeeper, and what lied beneath was the true Yami, that Yugi was only just beginning to discover. He wasn’t sure if he could trust this new side- but then again, could he ever trust the mysterious innkeeper to begin with? And if he was doubting himself now, then did their friendship mean nothing? It may have only seemed like two weeks to everyone else, but to Yugi, he felt as if he had known the other for a millennia.

“Ah, Yugi? Yugi?” Yami’s voice drifted back to him, and Yugi’s attention snapped back to the present. They were standing out the front of the inn.

“Sorry, I was just thinking, I guess.” Yugi mumbled, his eyebrows creasing in deeper thought. 

“No no, the fault is mine, really.” Yami replied quickly. Yugi glanced around at the rushed tone in the innkeeper’s voice, slightly confused. _He keeps apologising to me…_

“Why though?” Yugi found himself asking out loud. Yami levelled a slightly confused look at him, a frown marring his expression. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“Why do you keep apologising? You act as if you’ve done something to make me upset.”

Yami looked away at that, but Yugi didn’t miss his expression change to one of guilt. “Maybe I have…” he muttered lowly, and Yugi had to strain to hear him. He was about to ask what the innkeeper meant by that when Yami turned around, pivoting to stand almost completely in front of Yugi- enough to block his path to the door.

“Listen, Yugi. There’s something I need to tell you, and I think it’s something you need- and have been wanting, I believe- to hear.” Yugi’s head snapped up to lock eyes with the innkeeper, and they widen when he saw the resolution set into Yami’s eyes. He hadn’t seen them look so intense before- the embers he had seen flickering in those depths had ignited into a fiery blaze. The look of uncertainty was gone, replaced with one of scorching determination. How fast they had changed…

“There’s… Something big coming. And soon. I don’t want to alarm you, and I don’t want you to get involved- your friendship has meant the world to me these past weeks, and that’s why I couldn’t bare it if something went wrong and you were hurt as a result. I know I’ve been hiding things from you, and I can see that this has upset you- I swear I never meant for this to happen, but…” For a moment, it seemed like Yami’s determination had faltered, and Yugi began to see emotion seep through the cracks, before the innkeeper shook his head, and his resolve returned. “I’m asking you to trust me, Yugi. I know it’s hard, and I know I’m not truly worthy of something as important and precious as your trust, but… Please. You have to believe me when I say this goes beyond what you think.”

Yugi stared at Yami, taking in the words of the innkeeper. He knew what the other was asking seemed highly unreasonable, and he got the feeling that Yami somehow knew that, but was hoping Yugi would grant him this favour. Because that’s what it was. It was a test of the bond they had developed over such a short time. Yami was reaching out for him, and Yugi now had the choice to cut all ties, or continue stumbling forward in ignorance, hoping that eventually the other would shed the light on him he so desperately needed. He realised that he already had his answer, without even really needing to think it over.

“I do,” Yugi said, letting a breath out he hadn’t realised he had been holding. Yami blinked, holding his gaze over Yugi’s, his eyes darting in the tiniest of ways as he searched Yugi’s for any trace of doubt. “I trust you, Yami.” Yugi explained further, the smallest of smiles tugging at his lips when he saw the surprise in the other’s eyes.

“Do you… Truly mean that?” Yami asked, his voice uncertain. It seemed that all his confidence had left now, having served its purpose, and was replaced with the crumbling mask. He looked almost happy, though, as if Yugi’s words had sparked a hope in him.  

“Of course,” Yugi nodded, and he saw Yami’s shoulders visibly sag in relief. “But,” And the apprehension was back in Yamis eyes, if only for a second. Yugi crossed his arms, aware that he was pouting instead of merely frowning. “Sooner or later, when whatever it is, is over, I want a decent explanation- you owe me that much.”

“And more,” Yami nodded. “I promise you, I will tell you everything when I can. Just please, for now, trust me.”

Yugi smiled. “I will.” Yami returned the gesture before moving inside the building. Yugi followed, heading upstairs while Yami ducked out back- ‘to get started on dinner,’ he had said. Yugi wasted no time tramping up the wooden steps to his room, opening the door to find Ryou inside, seated on the only chair in the room. Yugi opened his mouth, about to ask his friend how his day was when he noticed the dark look that the other had. Ryou looked nothing short of dead serious, his gaze lost in the pages of an old textbook.

Yugi approached cautiously, making sure that Ryou heard him enter so that the other knew he was there. “Hey, how’s it going?” Yugi asked, trying to sound casual despite his hesitation. Everyone around him seemed to be on edge today, although he knew Yami had his reasons- as reluctant as he was to share them- he was sure Ryou had them too. He just hoped that his friend would be more willing to share them with him, he had been feeling as if Ryou had been avoiding certain questions as of late.

“Hey, you’re back, did you enjoy your day out?” Ryou said, breaking his intense stare to smile up at Yugi, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Yeah, sort of,” Yugi chuckled, shrugging his shoulders at Ryou’s raised eyebrow. “Well I ran into a bit of trouble in a shop, but luckily Yami was there to help bail me out.” Yugi explained further. Ryou’s eyes flashed for a moment, and Yugi didn’t miss the emotions that passed through them, the way Ryou’s grip on his book tightened at the mention of the innkeeper’s name.

“Did he now? Well, that was good of him to be there to help out.” Ryou said, his voice strained as he obviously struggled to keep it positive. He was failing miserably though, as Yugi could see right through it all. He had known Ryou for _years_ , and he especially knew when his friend wasn’t being honest.

“Alright Ryou, what is it?” Yugi asked flatly.

“What’s what?” Ryou frowned.

Yugi rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong, Ryou. I know you, and I know when something is bothering you, so spill it- what happened?”

Ryou scoffed, a soft smile coming over his features as he regarded Yugi with a bewildered expression. “You always seem to be able to look right through me, Yugi. How can you be so observant around me, but not others?” He mused out loud.

Yugi blinked owlishly in surprise. “Others? What… What do you mean…?” Ryou turned a pity filled look at him, his smile sad. “The complete faith you have in people you’ve just barely met. You trust people so willingly, regardless of their possible ill intentions.”

“You’re talking about Yami, aren’t you?” Yugi caught on, not missing where Ryou was going with this.

“Yugi, I know you really like him, but he’s up to something, and—“

“I know.” Yugi stated flatly.

Ryou stopped, blinking. “You know?” He repeated. Yugi nodded. “Then you know he cannot be trusted- he’s dangerous.”

“I don’t think so. I think he has his reasons for whatever he’s doing, and when he’s ready, he’ll tell us. I have faith in him.”

“Yugi, you’ve only known him for two weeks- how can you be sure? I’ve known you just as long as you’ve known me, so it’s understandable that you’d be able to read me, but how can you tell me you can trust a man you’ve only known for _two weeks?_ You don’t know of the things he’s involved in! _”_

Yugi went to snap a rebuttal back, but stopped at Ryou’s last comment, confused. “What do you mean? Because, from what I can hear, it almost sounds like _you_ know…”

“Because I do, Yugi, and he’s not to be trusted. He’s hiding something, and it’s something big.”

“I can’t believe… You confronted him? _Without_ me?” Yugi was staring in disbelief. He couldn’t believe it! Ryou had made him promise he wouldn’t do anything, and then Ryou had turned around behind Yugi’s back! _Is there no one I can trust anymore?_ Yugi silently wailed.

“It’s more like he found us out- he knew we were there that night, anyway. Was he acting strange and unusual today around you?”

Yugi frowned, the events of today coming back, fresh in his mind. He _had_ noticed that Yami was acting weird, but he had brushed it off, until the other had admitted to his secrets just before. “I did, but he told me he would give me an explanation when this all blows over, and I believe him. Would it kill you to have a little faith, Ryou?”

“Not in someone hiding _that_ big of a secret.” Ryou muttered, making Yugi strain to hear him. He went to argue when they suddenly heard a loud smashing sound, like something breaking.

“That came from downstairs…” Yugi and Ryou exchanged a look, before Ryou shut his book, throwing it on the table to take off out the door, Yugi following close behind.

They arrived downstairs to find the place empty. “Yami?” Yugi called out, trotting up to the counter and peeking around. “Are you alright?” Yami wasn’t to be seen anywhere, Yugi even dared to open the door to the kitchen, but nothing looked out of place in there. He was just turning back around into the main hall when he noticed the smashed remains of a cup on the floor behind the counter. He kneeled down, picking up one of the shards and tilting it in his hand. _This was one of Yami’s glass cups…_

He looked up to find Ryou standing on the other side of the counter, a frown plastered on his face. “Didn’t you say that he came back with you?”

“I don’t think so… But he did. He said he was just going to get started on dinner.”

Ryou turned away, his head tilting to look at what Yugi assumed from his current position was the door. “He must have left in a hurry then…”

“What?” Yugi bounced back up, following Ryou’s gaze. The door was swung wide open on a weird angle, as if someone had thrown it open in a hurry. “What could have happen- hey, Ryou!” Yugi reached out to his friend, who had wandered over to the door and was looking around outside. His eyes hardened suddenly, and he grabbed the doorframe harshly, the wood creaking under the pressure and his eyes narrowing. Confused, Yugi jogged across the hall to stand next to the mage, peering out to see what had gotten his friend so riled up so suddenly.

The view from the door covered the bottom of the slope the inn sat on, giving way to the grassy fields of the farms, and the line of trees making up the forest beyond. Something moving in the corner of his eye brought his attention to the forest, and he was just in time to see a blurry human figure meld into the trees. He didn’t need to guess- by the look on Ryou’s face, he knew who it was.

“Should we follow him? I mean, he could be in trouble…” Yugi said, to himself as much as to his friend.

Ryou tore his gaze from the tree line to stare at Yugi with sharp brown eyes. “There’s only one way we’re going to get the answers we want, Yugi. The question is, are you willing to go all the way?”

Yugi chewed his lip, thinking it over, but Ryou wasn’t going to give him the time he needed, instead pushing off the door and stepping outside. “H-Hey! Ryou, wait up!” Yugi called out, jogging to catch up to his friend, who had taken off at a brisk pace.

They set off, Ryou’s fast strides making quick work of the fields as Yugi struggled to keep up with the pace, all the while trying to gain a response from his suddenly silent friend. He had no idea why Ryou was suddenly so serious. He understood that during the confrontation he had with Yami, something happened to make the other two uneasy. _I wish I knew what it was that they talked about, it seems serious…_ Yugi thought, looking up as the trees closed over his view, signalling their approach into the forest. The sense of calm he had experienced in this place just days ago was lost, replaced by one of apprehension and anxiety. His stomach was rolling as his heart raced to pump his lifeblood. He tried to focus on the path instead, watching the grass fold in under the force of Ryou’s boots, and the soft crunching of the gravel and dirt underneath. Just listening to the sounds of the forest around him was beginning to sooth Yugi’s nerves when Ryou suddenly stopped- so sharply that Yugi found himself bumping into the mage’s back.

“Hey—“ Yugi was interrupted by Ryou’s hand coming up to cover his mouth, cutting him off. He tried to mumble around the appendage, but lost his breath as the mage began to pull him back, into some bushes in the undergrowth.

“Shh, he’s right there.” Ryou whispered lowly into Yugi’s ear, and he couldn’t help the shiver that passed through him as Ryou released him. He shuffled forward, trying to peer through the leaves. From what he could see, there seemed to be a clearing ahead of them- the one with the hill he had met Arundel in days ago, and the one they had seen Yami fight the shadow creatures in, he suspected. He waited until he could get a decent look before adjusting to the view. He heard Ryou shift around until he saw his mop of white hair out of the corner of his eye beside him. He turned his attention back to the clearing, where he saw a figure standing at the base of the hill. _No,_ he corrected himself, it wasn’t just any figure, it was Yami, the man he had given his trust to.

“I knew he was up to something.” Ryou muttered under his breath. Yugi couldn’t take his eyes off of the innkeeper- there was something off about him. He looked like he was shaking, and his shoulders were heaving, like he was panting for breath. Yugi supposed that he had run all the way here from the inn.

“I know you’re out here, Other Me! Reveal yourself!”

Yugi blinked in confusion, shifting over to see Ryou reflecting the same expression. _Other me?_ He mouthed, to which Yugi shrugged, turning back to find his breath catch in his throat as he froze.

“Well well well, it’s been awhile, hasn’t it, Weaker Me?” A loud, harsh voice boomed.

Standing there on top of the hill, staring down at the innkeeper, was another Yami.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Seven: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yami calling Yugi by the fake name 'Lamont' in that scene was a nod to Final Fantasy 12, one of my favourite games. I really love Larsa, and couldn't resist using his name trick in this scene xD
> 
> Next Week- Yugi gets some answers, and yet is still left in the dark. Yami and Ryou argue, and just who the hell is this other Yami??? Why are there two??


	8. I've Been Losing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is I've Been Losing You by A-ha.

 

_Please now,_

_Talk to me_

_Tell me; things I could find helpful_

_How can I stop now…_

_Is there nothing I can do?_

_I have lost my way_

_I’ve been losing you_

 

 

Yugi could only stare in shock, his eyes wide in surprise. _Two_ Yamis? There was _another_ Yami, just like him? But no, Yugi realised. The closer Yugi strained his eyes to see, the more differences he could tell between the two.

This new- _Other_ Yami- wore a completely different outfit compared to the innkeeper. Where Yami had a common tunic and undershirt and pants, the Other Yami had a type of half tunic that sat snug on his hips like a short skirt, wrapped around the top of his waist and held tight by a strip of silk-like fabric. His chest was bare, exposing the dark tan surface of his skin- different to the more pale tones of Yami’s.  A deep, crimson cape flowed down his back, set in place by a massive golden necklace. The man was also wearing a collection of thick, golden bands enclosed around both his arms and legs, giving off a brilliant shine. If the situation was any different, Yugi would have been blushing madly at the obvious attractiveness of the other- it was no exaggeration to say that the man had charm, but Yugi felt that when he tried to see the man’s face, his breath was taken away for a whole other reason. The sheer, raw expression of _anger_ that consumed his expression pierced through the distance. Yugi couldn’t believe he could see so much emotion from inside his vantage point in the bushes. He was almost sure Ryou was under the same shock. Yami, however, seemed unfazed by that scorching gaze, as Yugi could see the determination on his face.

“What are you doing here? You’re not welcome- leave, immediately.” Yami growled, his voice full of distaste.

The Other Yami brought his hand up to his chest, feinting shock. “Why Weaker Me, I’m wounded.”

“Cut the crap,” Yami snarled. “You don’t care for one second what I think of you.”

“True,” The other said simply. He tilted his head, drawing his hands up to cross over his chest. “So, Weaker Me, still going by that stupid name- what is it again?” A grin broke out over the Other Yami’s face. It was terrifying- seeing a face so consumed with rage to be grinning like that. It was so _unnatural_. “Ah, that’s right, _Yami_ , wasn’t it?”

“You know I can no longer use my true name- you stole that right away from me.”

“I don’t see what you’re so hostile about, I never denied you anything, dear _Yami_. It was your choice to go by another, and the punishment of weaker men that forced you into that decision. A shame, really- you refusing to accept the part of you that makes you who you are.”

“I am who I am,” Yami growled. “I don’t need that name anymore- nor do I need _you.”_

“Ah, you try so hard to put up a strong front, my Weaker Me. But really, who are you trying to convince? We both know that it’s all for nothing. I know how you feel. You’re weak and scared- scared that you’re slowly fading away from your former glory, scared that you’ll never be the man you once were. Admit it, you’re nothing without your true name. It’s our name that gives us our power, and ever since it was taken from you you’ve been lost, wandering down a road that leads nowhere.”

“Shut up! You don’t know anything about me now!” Yami yelled.

“I _am_ you!” The Other Yami spat, his voice rumbling with anger. Yami’s voice paled before the commanding tones of his reflection. “And you know _damn_ well who is the stronger, more superior of us.”

“And it’s _your_ fault this happened to us!” Yami’s voice cracking slightly as it rose in tone. He was almost acting borderline hysterical. “It was all your anger and hatred that caused us to become what we are now!”

The Other Yami’s eyes were glistering with barely contained, seething anger. To say he was angry was an understatement- he was _livid_. “You stupid, foolish _human_. If it wasn’t for my strength, those foolish wizards would have succeeded in destroying us all those years ago, although if you ask me, they should have sealed you away when they had the chance. It disgusts me having to look at your weakness.”

“Then the feeling is mutual,” Yami said, grating his teeth together. This was the most emotion Yugi had ever seen him show. He had a feeling this was the true Yami he was seeing here- the mask had completely cracked now, and the truth had seeped through. “Now tell me what you’re doing here, then get out. You are _not_ welcome here.”

“Well, I’m here to see what kind of plan you’re cooking up this time. A little bird told me in a whisper that someone has been talking about me- and behind my back, too. _Tsk tsk,_ Yami. Don’t you know it’s quite rude to say such harsh things behind someone’s back? And here you are trying to convince me that _I’m_ the evil one.”

Yami’s face faltered for a split second before it hardened back into a look of anger. “What are you talking about? I’m just trying to live what little grasp on life I have, without your shadow stalking me constantly. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“One cannot live without the other,” The other Yami mused, talking to himself as much as to the other. A thought that made Yugi confused the more he thought it over. “As much as I find you despicable, and cannot stand the sight of you, I can’t have you going off and dying on me, dear _Yami._ Besides, if anyone was to finally off you, that honour would be mine. _”_

“We’re in agreement there, then. But you’re not answering my question.”

“Ah, perceptive as always, Weaker Me,” The Other Yami shook his head. “But I’ve already said- I was called here, whether by accident or not, someone is going around slipping names. They probably have no idea of the serious mistake they’ve made.”

“What are you talking about? How would anyone know of your existence- it was wiped from the world years ago.”

“Why don’t you ask your friends in the bushes? They’ve been trying _so_ hard to listen in to our conversation, dear _Yami_ , the least we can do is let them join in the _fun_.”

Yami turned around, his eyes wide as saucers, and for the first time Yugi saw genuine, raw _fear_ on the innkeeper’s face. “No, it’s can’t be…Yugi…?” he called softly, his voice barely more than a whisper, but in the silence that had overcome the opening it sounded more like he was shouting. He heard Ryou swear, their cover having been blown. He stepped out into the open, observing the two men coldly, although Yugi didn’t miss the way his gaze lingered on the Other Yami, the array of confusing emotions that overcame his face as he watched him.

“Yami…? What’s… What’s going on…?” Yugi found himself asking, following Ryou out of the safety of the bushes and into the opening, his gaze travelling from the innkeeper to the other man and back. Just who was this stranger that looked so scarily similar to Yami? Sure, there was the key differences that he had noted before, but that didn’t change the fact that they looked eerily alike, as if this other man was Yami from another time, or place. He came closer to the couple, his steps slow and hesitant. He took note of the expression on Yami’s face, feeling the guilt pile up in his stomach at the look of shock that was plastered over it. He turned his gaze to the Other Yami instead, and instantly he felt his blood freeze at the sight of those enraged, chips of ruby. He hadn’t realised it from where he had been hiding so far away, but as close as he was now, Yugi could see that the Other Yami’s pupils were silted, almost like that of a lizard’s or snake’s. But that wasn’t the thing that shocked Yugi the most. What made his eyes widen and his breath hitch was his hair- or, more accurately, the two red _horns_ that were protruding out of his head, surrounded by a wild tangled mess of thick, maroon hair. If Yugi wasn’t in shock, he might have mused over the idea of how similar his hair looked in colour with the other’s. _What is he? He can’t be human._ Yugi wondered silently.

The Other Yami just smirked, meeting Yugi’s gaze the entire time, until Yugi was forced to look away under the sheer force of those eyes. It was like they were taking apart his soul, stripping it down to see what lie inside.

“Well isn’t this just a fun little party. Yami, you didn’t tell me we’d be having guests.” The Other Yami drawled, inspecting his hands with a bored looking expression.

“They have nothing to do with this, leave them alone.” Yami rumbled, his gaze faltering as it passed over Yugi. His eyes were silently pleading with him. _Why are you here? You’re in danger!_

“I’m afraid you’re wrong there, Weaker Me,” The Other Yami stated, his eyes passing over Ryou before narrowing at the innkeeper. “They’re the reason I am here.”

Yugi exchanged a glance with Ryou, the other boy looking as confused as Yugi felt. The air around the mage changed seconds later, however, as a look of realisation passed over his face, quickly changing to one of resolution. _What does he know about this that I don’t?_ Yugi silently wailed. He was so tired of being left outside of everything that was happening. He just wanted to understand what was going on. The one person who seemed to comprehend this was the Other Yami, who shot him a smug look before passing on to Ryou, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

“You’re him, aren’t you?” Ryou asked, finding his voice before Yugi had the chance.

“Who, pray tell?” The Other Yami’s voice boomed, amused. In a kind of sick way, Yugi could tell he was enjoying toying with everyone.

“White Mage, this isn’t the time for your interrogations! Take Yugi and _go!”_ Yami yelled, a form of desperation crossing his face. It hurt Yugi to see Yami looking so torn, but he knew that even if Ryou took the innkeeper’s advice, he wasn’t about to leave Yami behind when he was so clearly distressed over the situation.

“Admit it! I was right all along- you were involved in that accident years ago,” Ryou yelled at Yami, making the other flinch at the tone. When Yami didn’t answer immediately, he then directed his attention to the Other Yami, who was standing there, looking a cross between amused and bored. “You’re him! You’re the Great Wizard Atem!”

Silence fell across the clearing fast than Yugi could utter a gasp. The tension that had been clinging around them suddenly shot up to a chocking blanket of suffocation. Ryou continued to stare at the Other Yami, who was watching Ryou with a guarded expression, that out-of-place smirk still on his face. Yami looked torn, like someone had run claws through his insides, and he was bleeding deep inside. His eyes were wide in shock, and Yugi couldn’t help the pang of sympathy that ran through him. _He looks so sad and scared, I’ve never seen him like this before._ It was nothing short of terrifying to see the usually so composed Yami look so broken. It was like that one name had resonated with something inside, and it was the key to unlocking a dam of emotions that was now flooding through.

 And then suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of loud, booming laughter. The Other Yami had his head thrown back, cackling into the night air. It was the most unnatural sound Yugi had ever heard- the way it cracked and echoed against the silence of the forest. He carried on until the urge left him, and he straightened, smirking at first Ryou then Yami. “Well Weaker Me, it appears you’ve been busy. But really, a White Mage? How far you’ve fallen, to be relying on their kind. It’s almost enough to make me sick.”

“They are the same kind as us- you have no right to belittle them just because you might be more powerful.” Yami spat.

The Other Yami just laughed, shaking his head. “That’s where you’re wrong, dear _Yami_. I have every right- ever since they tried to tear my- _our_ \- soul apart. We wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for _his_ kind.” He turned his sharp eyes on Ryou, anger glistering in those fiery chips.

“ _My_ kind? What does that make you, then? You cannot possibly be human with those eyes and horns, and besides, if what I said is true, then you’re the most powerful wizard to ever live.” Ryou snapped back. Yugi shuffled uncomfortable, he could sense from the tension that they were all walking on eggshells here. The smallest irritable comment could break out into a full blown fight. He still wasn’t sure if they should fight, though. Who exactly was this Atem person? How did Ryou know about this? He had never heard the name before, but then again Yugi wasn’t as well acquainted to history as Ryou was. But what of this Other Yami? What did he mean to the Yami they knew- or thought they knew? He could tell they had a bond of some sort, but they both showed such obvious hostility towards each other that Yugi wasn’t sure what he should think. He send a small string of emotions to Arundel, hoping that wherever the dragon was was close enough that if a fight broke out, he would be able to assist them. He didn’t get a response though, which made him frown in confusion. Why hadn’t the dragon answered? But Yugi didn’t have time to dwell on the thought- he needed to keep his wits about him.

“It doesn’t make me human, that’s for sure- and who’d want to be, with the way your race treats all the others,” The Other Yami growled. He stopped suddenly, titling his head to observe Ryou, his eyes narrowing to get a closer look. “But I’m not here to beat around the bush, little mage. I’m far more interested in how a little wannabe historian like you learnt of my existence. I was almost certain that the high council would have erased me from the history books after they pulled their little stunt, so then how could you possibly know my name? I know for sure that my Weaker Half didn’t tell you, as much as he’d have me believe that.” He shot a look at Yami, and the innkeeper returned the glare.

“Leave them out of this, _Atem.”_ Yami said, his tone warning. The other just brushed him off with a wave, although his eyes lit up at the name. “Ohh!! There it is- you’ve finally said our name! I’ve been waiting _years_ for you to say it. But that begs the question, why now, dear _Yami?_ Why wait so long to acknowledge what I am? You’ve clearly been avoiding the use of your true name, but suddenly a mage shows up claiming knowledge of your past and you just roll it off the tongue? Forgive me for sounding just a tiny bit _suspicious,_ Weaker Me.”

“Because you won’t listen to me otherwise. I’ve told you to _leave_ , and I mean it- get _out_ of Rohesia, and don’t come back!”

“Ah, but you forget- _I’m_ the Great Wizard Atem, dear _Yami_. _You_ abandoned that title when you took another, and therefore you have no claim to that glory, meaning you have no control over me. I’ll come and go where I please.”

“There’s no glory in a name covered in blood.”

“At least _I_ haven’t forgotten who I am, Weaker Me. You’ve built yourself the ultimate role-play here, and you’ve lost yourself in it so much you no longer remember why you built it in the first place.”

“To get away from you!”

“To run away!”

“I’m not running away!”

“But you are!” The Other Yami- Atem, Yugi supposed his name really was- roared, his voice cutting off any protest Yami could mutter. “You’re running away and hiding behind a web of lies to forget the actions of your past! You think that we are completely different people, when in reality we are _not_. As much as I hate to think that you were once a part of me, I admit that that was once the truth. What you are doing is running away from your past, instead of facing it. That is why you are weaker, Yami- because when you get right down to it I am strong enough to face the past head on where you run and hide. I accept what we did, and use it to move forward, whereas you have used it to corrupt you into becoming the very thing that tried to destroy us in the first place. You’ve become _human_ , Yami!”

Yugi gasped, hearing a similar reaction from everyone else in the clearing. Yami was frozen, his expression a mix between shock and hurt. “Wha… What are you saying?” He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Atem curled his lips back in disgust. “Just what I said, dear Yami. You’ve become human. Congratulations. It’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it? To kick the part of you out that made you different? Well, you’ve succeeded. Let’s just hope it was the right choice for you.” He spat, his voice containing barely held back rage. From the look in his eyes Yugi could tell he would not hesitate to rip someone apart without a second thought. He was amazed he had resisted this long.   

Suddenly something began to move behind Atem, and Yugi couldn’t help the step back he took for reassurance; he had a feeling he didn’t want to be around whatever was happening to the wizard. A black like substance began to leak from Atem’s shoulders, stretching out and up in streaking lines. Yugi watched in amazement and fear as the trails grew until he was staring at two, ink-like dark wings curling out from the wizard.

“Well, I’d hate to overstay my _welcome,_ so I best be off. But don’t worry, dear Yami- I’ll be back to make your life worse- sooner than you think.” And with that promise hanging in the air threateningly, Atem beat his wings and shot off into the sky, quickly dropping out of sight.

                                                                 

* * *

 

Yugi brought his attention back down to those in the field. The heavy tension had begun to fade, although he could still sense some unease in the air, mostly coming from Ryou. The White Mage was staring directly at Yami, and his expression wasn’t a kind one.

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, mister _innkeeper_.” Ryou seethed, crossing his arms. Yugi felt second hand guilt from the way Yami winced, his eyes trained on the grass beneath them. Yami made no move to speak, however, as he continued his staring contest with the forest floor.

Yugi was content to let the silence drag- although he was curious to hear what the innkeeper had to say, but unlike Ryou he wasn’t willing to force it out of him. Even after the confrontation scene, Yugi found, much to his shock, that he still had a degree of trust in the other. Ryou didn’t seem as eager for silence as Yugi was, however.

“Talk, Yami! What is your involvement in this? Was that the Great Wizard Atem? _Was it?”_ Ryou practically screamed, his tiny portion of patience long since vanished.

Yami grimaced, his jaw clenched and his eyes glassed over in pain. “It… Was. In a way.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ryou snapped.

“He is… _Atem,”_ Yami said the name like his mouth was suddenly dry. “I-In a matter of speaking. But he is only… Half of what he used to be.”

“And why is that?” Ryou’s tone left no room for the other to back out. Yugi shuffled awkwardly between the two, watching their reactions back and forth.

“Because he’s only half of… a person.”

“You might want to start making some sense soon, Yami, before I get annoyed.”

Yami suddenly flared up at that, his eyes flickering with annoyance. “This is none of your business, Mage! If you hadn’t stuck your nose where it clearly doesn’t _belong_ , we wouldn’t be having this conversation!”

“Stop pulling the blame onto others! You’re the one who clearly did something _wrong_ here!”

“I have done nothing wrong! It wasn’t _my_ fault!” Yami’s voice was dripping was rage, his eyes narrowed in a way Yugi had never thought possible. Right now, in the middle of the tension brewing, Yugi couldn’t believe the cheerful innkeeper that had been nothing but kind to him these past weeks could possess such an intense inner fire of anger. Standing there, his pose like one of a predator, the innkeeper looked like he would jump Ryou and tear him apart without a second thought. He almost looked identical to his other self, Atem. Yugi frowned suddenly. Wait… Other self? The gears turned, and something clicked in Yugi’s mind.

“He’s your other half?” Yugi spoke up. The other two suddenly turned to look at him, their undivided attention on him. “He’s, uh, half of you, right? That means you’re Atem too… Right?” Yugi couldn’t supress the shiver that travelled through him when he uttered the name. He felt as if something was watching him, judging the window of his soul as those two syllables rolled off his tongue. _No wonder why Yami never wanted to say his name… There’s so much power in it!_

“Yes, Yugi. You’re right. I am… Atem. But I’m only half of him. It’s… Confusing. I shouldn’t be discussing this- not here, not now. I need to prepare, I need to…” Yami trailed off, talking to himself as much as to Yugi. He began to walk off, muttering away about ‘preparing for something.’ He completely missed Ryou’s screams for him to stop and explain himself. Yami suddenly seemed lost in his thoughts, his eyes shooting around, unfocused.

“Maybe we should all head back to the inn. I think Yami needs some time to deal with what happened… He seems pretty shaken up.” Yugi suggested lightly, tugging on Ryou’s sleeve to move with him.

“He’ll be more shaken up when I’m through with him,” Ryou muttered, his attention turning to Yugi with mild annoyance. “You don’t seem at all fazed by this turn of events.”

Yugi gave a weak laugh. “I just don’t think it’s caught up to me yet, honestly. But I get the feeling that Yami’s just as lost and confused as we are, despite the fact that he knows more about this other him than we do.”

Ryou didn’t seem convinced, but he agreed reluctantly, trailing behind Yugi as the two of them followed Yami back to the city. They stayed some distance behind the innkeeper, only approaching him when they reached the inn.

“No more running, Yami. You tell us what you know, right now.” Ryou said, cornering the other behind the counter. Yami sighed, running his hands through his hair as he tried to regain his composure. 

“First I should apologise to you both for my actions, especially losing control of my temper back there- my other half tends to bring out the worst in me,” He took a moment to regain his appearance before continuing. “I find it hard to believe that the elder’s at the mage’s college would allow a young white mage to be running around trying to unearth such a well buried secret, Ryou. How about you tell me how you know about my past before I let go of such crucial information?”

“Actually I’m curious about that too, Ryou,” Yugi chimed in, looking at his friend. “How _do_ you know about all this?”

“I guess… I see no reason to withhold the information anymore. I stumbled across a text years ago during my training that mentioned a name of a wizard,” Ryou admitted. “It was very obscure, and half the text was missing, almost looking like it was burnt off. It didn’t add up to anything I’d ever seen, and I soon realised something wasn’t right about it. So I began to conduct my own research into the text, finding leads and places that eventually linked together enough to give me the details I needed.”

“And what are those?”  Yami asked immediately, his eyes boring into Ryou’s. “What exactly have you uncovered about me- about us?”

“Not enough, apparently. The records I found said there was only one Great Wizard Atem. So that begs the question- who exactly _are_ you?”

“I am as much the Great Wizard as my other half is. We are two halves of the same whole, as Yugi pointed out before.” Yugi felt his cheeks warm as Yami nodded at him. Regardless of the events of tonight, he still felt there was something he could trust in the innkeeper- or maybe that was just his over trusting nature coming into play. Ryou had told him he worked too hard to find the good in people, even when there was none to be found.   _But can I even trust Ryou now? My lifelong friend I’ve known since forever? He’s been keeping secrets from me too. It seems like everyone around me has recently…_

“Look,” Yami started, placing his hands down on the counter as he leaned forward, closer to Yugi and Ryou. “I don’t have any ill will against you both- in fact, nothing would please me more than having you two as far away from this place as possible with the knowledge that you’d be safe and away from all this turmoil. But the fact is, Atem knows you’re here now, and _nothing_ will save you from him should he turn his wrath onto you. Please, believe me when I say this is _too big_ for you, Ryou. It may seem like the discovery of a life time to a young budding mage, but you are in way over your head, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. You cannot beat this. The last thing I want to see is your broken, dead bodies at the feet of my other side…” Yugi could hear the guilt and fear hitching in Yami’s voice. Yugi found himself instinctively covering the innkeeper’s hands with his own, resting them on top. Yami’s hands were sweaty and cold, devoid of any warmth. Yugi had to suppress a shiver, but he didn’t remove his hands. His eyes locked with the other’s as he searched his gaze for a reason to doubt the other, anything that would throw off Yami’s malicious intent. But no matter how hard Yugi searched, he could only find genuine fear and sadness. Yami was _sacred_ for him, and it shocked Yugi to realise this. He could see a question burning behind those wine coloured eyes. _Do you trust me? Even after all that has happened, could you still trust me?_

Yugi felt his features soften as a small smile graced his face. _Of course I do. I said I would trust you, and I do_. He tried to send the message back, through their strange link of communication, and when he saw some of the fear leave the other’s face, he knew Yami understood.

“If you’re done, I still want some answers, thanks.” Ryou spoke up from beside them. Yugi, startled, removed his hands, Yami nodding his thanks at him.

“Why is this so important to you, Ryou?” Yugi frowned, watching his friend. He hadn’t been acting the same since this whole thing started. Then again, now that Yugi thought about it, Ryou had been suspicious of Yami since the beginning. He didn’t understand why this was such a big deal to Ryou- he understood that his friend had a thirst for knowledge, but he couldn’t help but think that the mage was taking things a little too far.

Ryou shrugged, shooting Yugi a soft smile. “Sorry, Yugi. I know I’ve been dragging you all over the country these past few weeks with little to no explanation, and that’s wrong of me. I haven’t been the best friend. But this isn’t something I can just throw away. The point being, the Mage’s council has been lying to us all, and I’m not going to stand for it anymore. What if this was to happen again? We’re supposed to chronicle history so that we can learn from the mistakes of the past- How can we do that if they wipe the slate clean?”

“An honourable ideal, but one that will get you killed,” Yami replied. “Believe me when I say that there are some things in history not worth remembering.”

“Then why does no one know of the name Atem? Why were you forgotten- or buried?”

“Because I did something horrible.” Yami said, looking down.

“How?” Yugi found himself wondering out loud.

“How? What do you mean, Yugi?” Yami blinked at him.

“How did you do something horrible?”

“It’s… I was a different person back then.” Yami admitted, his posture drooping.

Ryou sighed, scratching a hand through his puffy white hair. “Listen… I didn’t mean—“

Yami’s head suddenly snapped up, a far off distance look in his eyes. “Oh no...” He whispered.

“What’s wrong Yami?” Yugi asked.

“He’s here…” The innkeeper trailed off, his eyes moving to the door. “I can sense his presence. But he just left… I thought…”

“That he would stay away?” Ryou offered with a shrug. “He doesn’t sound like he’s going anywhere anytime soon. What does he want from you? What is all this about?”

“I don’t know… I… I don’t actually know why he’s here,” He turned to Yugi, that hopeless look back in his expression. “I don’t know what to do.”

“We can fight him together, Yami.” Yugi spoke up.

“I’m not sure I’m supposed to be fighting him. It’d be like fighting with myself,” Yami gave a weak laugh. “And besides, I don’t want you to get involved in this anymore, Yugi. It’s too dangerous. You too, Mage.” He gave Ryou a look that said _‘don’t try anything.’_

“I’m not a kid, Yami- I can look after myself.” Yugi straightened up, scrunching his gloved hands tightly together.

“And I’ve come this far- I’m going to see this through till the end, no matter how much you don’t want me to,” Ryou said. “And besides, if you want to fend him off, your best chance is to fight his dark magic with white.”

Yami scanned both Ryou and Yugi’s faces, searching their expressions for any sign of weakness, any way he could dissolve their resolve. When neither Yugi nor Ryou would back down, he sighed, shaking his head in defeat. “Your magic will do little more than annoy him, Mage. Even as half a person he still has power enough to match anything you could ever throw at him.”

Ryou looked thoughtful for a moment before something clicked. “That may be, but I know something that might work.” He said before pivoting on the spot and dashing up the stairs, throwing a, “I’ll be back in a sec!” over his shoulder before disappearing up the flight of stairs.

“Well he’s going to miss the party if he doesn’t hurry back,” A new voice spoke up, and Yugi whipped his head around to see Atem leaning against the doorframe of the inn casually. He smirked at Yami but completely ignored Yugi, and Yugi realised the wizard had hardly paid any attention to him throughout the whole encounter in the forest. It was as if Atem didn’t care for Yugi’s presence at all. He wasn’t sure why, but he found he was bothered by this.  

“Other Me… Back so soon?” Yami scowled, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. The other man scoffed, shaking his head.

“Why Yami, I’m hurt. Don’t you want to see me? After all, it’s been so long. I’d think you’d open me with welcome arms.” The wizard replied, his voice cool.

“I want you gone, you cause nothing but trouble.”

“Shame really. And I was looking so forward to be spending some time with my other half,” Atem grinned. “But then again, it seems like you prefer other company over mine.” He noted. It was then that the wizard seemed to finally pay attention to Yugi.

Yugi found himself instinctively tensing up under the other’s scrutiny. Those predator like eyes could see straight through him.

“And why wouldn’t I?” Yami spoke up, diverting Atem’s attention away from Yugi. “Yugi makes for much better company than you.”

“Ahh, so that’s the young tamer’s name, is it?” Atem’s eyes gleamed, and Yami seemed to realise his slip up. “Yugi,” The wizard said the name slowly, testing it out. “What an interesting name. And to think your silly dragon friend wasted all that effort not telling me it only for my weaker side to just blurt it out, the stupid loyal fool.”

Yugi’s attention snapped at Atem’s words. He stared at the wizard, his eyes wide. “What…?” He creased his brows in confusion before his eyes narrowed in realisation. _So that’s why I haven’t heard from Arundel…! Please, be safe…_

“What have you done to my friend?!” Yugi shouted, his apprehension towards the wizard momentarily forgotten as he took a step forward to face the other. Atem just smirked back, not looking in the least bit intimidated by Yugi.

“Oh, nothing. Just had a friendly talk with him. Wouldn’t want him to ruin the fun now, would we?” Atem drawled out, inspecting his nails with little interest.

Yugi felt his cheeks flush in sudden anger. He didn’t believe in Atem’s words at all. He suspected that Atem had done more than just had a friendly chat with the dragon. _I hope he’s alright…_ Yugi thought, biting his lip to supress his resentment.

It was in that moment that Ryou returned from upstairs, descending down only to stop at the foot of the staircase. His eyes narrowed when he spotted Atem, who waved back nonchalantly.

“A bit late to the party, don’t you think, White Mage?”

“What- you couldn’t wait another day for me to beat you?” Ryou replied sarcastically. Yugi blinked in surprise at his friend’s tone. He sounded confident, and his tone was mocking. Yugi couldn’t help but worry over the sudden change in his friend’s composure. It also looked like the mage was carrying something behind his back. _Was that what he upstairs to get? What is it…?_ Yugi wondered.

“Oh? Really now? You think you can challenge me? The Greatest Wizard this world has ever seen?” Atem taunted, his loud, booming laughter breaking over the empty wooden hall. He ran a hand down the support beam of the door he was leaning on, dragging a clawed finger back up the surface, carving an indent in the wood. That smirk that had fast become a trademark was plastered on his face. The wizard was the very definition of being in control.

“I think I possess everything I need to remove you from existence.” Ryou said coolly, keeping his gaze equal with that of the wizard’s.

Atem quirked an eyebrow. “Truly? You wish to dance with the devil?”

“Do you?” Ryou shot back.

Atem laughed at the reply, leaning heavily against the wall as his shoulders shook. “Ahh, I like your attitude, young mage. Too bad you personify everything I hate about this world.”

“Other Me—“

“Quiet, Yami. The adults are talking.” Atem quipped, turning to smirk at the innkeeper before shifting his gaze back to Ryou. There was a challenge put forth in Atem’s crimson gaze. The first move is yours- are you strong enough to take that risk? He was watching and observing Ryou, the slight flickering of his eyes detailing his perception. Yugi was under the impression that at the first sign of aggression from Ryou, Atem would not hesitate to leap into motion.

Ryou’s fingers twitched, and he pulled out the object from behind his back, grasping the rough fabric in his hands. “Do you know what this is?” he asked coyly, tapping the large, covered section at one of the ends.

Atem looked unamused. “Your bad fashion sense with cloaks?”

“Not quite.” Ryou smirked, sliding the cloth up his hand to bunch it together, ready to toss off whatever was underneath. Yugi couldn’t help feeling just as curious as the others were- he had no idea what Ryou was holding.

“You see, Dark Wizard, this is the weapon of your demise.” And with that, Ryou whipped off the cover, revealing the hidden object- a staff of some kind.

“Ominous words coming from a White Mage—!“ Atem’s snide remark was cut off as his eyes fell on the weapon. They widened in shock, and the wizard fumbled a step back, although he quickly worked to regain his composure. Yugi stole a glance at Yami beside him, and noted that the innkeeper looked just as shocked and surprised as Atem had. He looked like he was about to say something, but Atem beat him to it.

“The staff? _My_ staff? You have _my_ staff?” He said in disbelief. “But that’s impossible! It’s been missing since the destruction of the college!” Atem narrowed his eyes. “How did _you_ find it, White Mage?”

“Isn’t it funny how the tides have changes? Just a moment ago you were the one extruding confidence.” Ryou replied, twirling the staff around in his hand. Yugi pursed his lips, his eyes locked onto the Dark Wizard. A sudden change had overcome him, a sort of stillness, almost like the calm before the storm.

Yami was the first to react, his head coming up so fast Yugi was afraid he’d have whiplash. “Ryou, stop! Lower the sta--!”

A growl erupted from Atem’s throat, and Yugi barely heard the warning shout from Yami before the wizard leaped forward, charging towards Ryou. The mage yelped, swinging the weapon forward to point at the wizard. A whirling sound emitted from the staff, followed by a glowing light surrounding the crystal gem on the end. After what seemed like seconds, a beam shot out from the gem, connecting with Atem’s shoulder. It all happened so fast, Yugi had hardly enough time to blink before it was over. Ryou was pushed back from the recoil of the weapon, but he was still standing. Atem was too, actually, although he was clutching his shoulder, which was no doubt throbbing from pain. Yugi wasn’t sure, but he thought he had heard a short intake of breath from next to him as well, and when he snuck a quick glance at the innkeeper, he noticed that Yami’s eyes were clouded over in what seemed like pain. _Does he feel the pain his other feels…?_ Yugi wondered.

“You little…” Atem was seething, his jaw clenching shut as he shot glares at both his arm and Ryou. The mage looked a little shaken, but was quickly regaining his composure.

“I guess you’re not as tough as you think you are, Great Wizard Atem. Or should I say, _previous_ Great Wizard Atem?” Ryou drawled out, his hands grasping the staff with the kind of force that turned his knuckles white. Yugi could tell that fear was a very real factor in his friend’s stance. He did well to keep his voice level and calm, but if Yugi knew his friend as well as he thought he did, then Ryou believed in Atem’s power to carry out his threats.

“Don’t test your luck, _boy,”_ The other spat, pulling his hand away from the gash in his shoulder to stare at the blood dripping off his hands. He looked amused by the liquid, but no one could deny the underlying anger he clearly felt towards Ryou. “I think you’ll find I’m still very capable of killing you, even with your new toy.”

Yugi was beginning to think that this situation was more deadly then it seemed. At least in the clearing, Atem hadn’t had an apparent reason to attack them. But now that they had provoked him, the wizard was sure to return the gesture to Ryou- he could see the desire burning in those dark irises.

“Then what’s stopping you? Where’s all this magical power that the Great Wizard possesses?” Ryou challenged, staring at Atem from over the staff’s gem. Atem snorted, but his eyes stayed trained on the staff in Ryou’s hands, flickering to the mage every now and then.

“Nothing’s stopping me.” He growled, his voice hitting dangerously low. Warning alarms were going off in Yugi’s head, and the hairs on the back of his neck rose from the tension. Something was about to happen, something _bad_ , and his senses were screaming at him to run away. _Forget fighting or talking it out, just run!_

Suddenly Atem brought his other arm up to his injured one and, flashing Yami a grin, drove his sharp nails into the broken flesh. Yami doubled over immediately, howling in pain as a hand shot up to hold his shoulder. Yugi immediately shifted his attention to Yami, but stopped halfway in his movement to aid the other when he saw a flicker of movement in the corner of his eyes. Years of dealing with fast paced creatures had trained his peripheral vision well, and he was more than aware of Atem as the wizard moved forward, shadows licking up his arms, his aim obviously Ryou.

Yugi knew his time was limited, and in hindsight he probably shouldn’t charge right into the lion’s den, so to speak, but the moment he saw his friend in danger his mind acted on its own. He rushed forward, aiming low (which wasn’t hard to do due to his short stature) as he tackled into Atem’s side, throwing the wizard off balance as his aim missed, his arm swinging harmlessly through air, shadows flickering all over his body. They began to consume all of the wizard’s limbs, and Yugi- still connected to the other- found the shadows beginning to travel up his body as well.  

It was in that moment that Yugi realised he was in more trouble than he could have ever thought. He had one last second to turn back and yell out one word, but he found when he saw Ryou’s and Yami’s shocked faces staring back at him, he couldn’t work out which name to call. The shadows covered around him before he could decide, and with a silent cry he fell into darkness.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Eight: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, in the last artwork, I forgot to draw the chairs in Yami's inn. Opps? Yeah I can't be bothered adding them right now so YEAH no chairs. Just blame Atem actually maybe he I dunno threw them out //shurgs. Tbh I blame Atem for a lot of things. Dropped my drink? Totally Atem's fault. Staying up till 2 drawing art for a chapter? Atem's fault. Crying over Puzzleshipping constantly? ATEM.  
> Also thanks for reading this far. Feel free to leave me a comment with what you thought, yeah? It's nice to know people are interested c:
> 
> Next Week- Yugi spends some quality time with his new companion, and Yami and Ryou really shouldn't be left alone together without Yugi.


	9. Far From Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is Far From Home by Five Finger Death Punch

MWAU- Chapter 9- Far From Home

 

_All the places I’ve been and things I’ve seen_

_A million stories that made up a million shattered dreams_

_The faces of people I’ll never see again_

_And I can’t seem to find my way home_

 

Yugi coughed, his feet kicking up mountains of collected dust and dirt into his face. It didn’t help that he had been shoved into this ‘cell’ so forcibly by his captor, although Yugi knew better than to expect mercy from the likes of the wizard; Atem was brutal, and could hardly be considered human with what little humanity he had displayed. He had thrown Yugi into the stone prison cell and stalked away, not even bothering to lock the gate that would have held Yugi within. Clearly he didn’t think it was worth it, which made Yugi both worried for the power the demon possessed, and angry that he wasn’t deemed worthy enough as a threat.

Yugi scowled, trying his best to look fearsome despite the fear welling up inside him. He didn’t remember exactly how he had ended up here, only that he had woken up to a familiar cold feeling and shadow’s everywhere. Then they had faded away, and were replaced by the walls of a castle of some sort. The wizard had promptly throw him aside and stalked off somewhere. Yugi had been sitting in the cell ever since, thinking everything over. He found that most of his thoughts trailed back to the innkeeper, and he was suddenly worried all over again about the problem at hand.

Yami had seemed so upset and… scared. It was so unlike him, Yugi had noticed. In fact, that whole encounter with Atem had pushed all sorts of reactions from Yami that Yugi had never seen in his features before. He had looked so lost and afraid, while Atem had done nothing but seethe in anger, anger that had been directed towards Yami. There was something very important that Yugi was missing here, a piece of the puzzle that would reveal the whole picture, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was he was missing.

Beginning to feel frustrated at his lack of answers, Yugi began pacing the cell, trying to pick at any stray thought that would help him link together the puzzle. He soon grew tired of the tiny space and the constant dust that his feet was stirring up, deciding that the corridor past his cell’s gate looked more attractive for a workspace.

The sudden change from the dirt covered stones to ones lined with rocks underneath his feet did nothing to alleviate Yugi’s stiff limbs. He winced softly in pain as he hobbled past the gate and out into the pathway, waiting until his limbs adjusted before continuing. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and anything that might have once been of interest was lost in the piles of soot. Something in the back of Yugi’s mind told him he should be staying put, but his sense of adventure was telling him to explore his curiosity. Yugi delayed momentarily, unsure of whether or not to proceed. In the end, he gave in to his curiosity and pressed forward down the corridor. After all, he wasn’t _that_ sacred of the demon wizard, was he?

After a while of walking down boringly similar hallways, Yugi reached an area that widened out into what looked to be a common area you’d find in an inn. There were several chairs scattered around a few tables, although most of the furniture appeared to be in an unusable shape. Yuugi briefly wondered if Atem had ever had guests over, then decided he didn’t want to know the answer to that. Maybe he was the first visitor, and Atem just didn’t know how to treat guests. _Nothing a quick chat couldn’t fix_ , Yugi thought optimistically, clinging to that one thread of hope floating in this sea of despair. The whole atmosphere of this place was rather unsettling, and Yugi set off across the room, wanting to find a better place to spend however long he was forced to remain here for. The more Yugi though about his current whereabouts, the more he realised he had no idea where he was, in both the room he was in, and his current location in Asren. For all he knew, he could be in a creepy dungeon far underground in some desolate ruins. The chances of escape did look thin, Yugi had to admit, but the nagging curiosity in the back of his mind gave him another thought that made him pause. What was it that he needed to escape from? Besides the obvious, of course, being the angry wizard that was currently most likely lurking in the same building as Yugi. Merely thinking of the dark wizard was enough to prick the hairs on the back of his neck in fear-induced anticipation. What did the wizard want with him? If he had had some prior knowledge about his captor, perhaps there would have been a way to best approach his current situation, or at least he might have found some way to combat the wizard. Instead he was reduced to fumbling around in the dark, dank rooms and hallways of some type of creepy castle dungeon.

In hindsight, it was probably Yugi’s fault that he was in this mess. He _had_ rushed forward and tackled Atem to the ground. If anyone was at fault, then it was most likely to be him. But that thought did little to help him work out how to get out of his dilemma.

A sudden sound broke Yugi’s line of thought and he jumped slightly. Looking towards the source of the sound, he noticed that during his musings he had wandered out of the previous room and into another, much smaller room. This room looked like it might have once been very inviting, but was now in disarray. More broken furniture was scattered against the walls, while the centre of the floor was filled with a massive four post bed. Yugi was sure that the posts had elegant carvings on them, but from his vantage point, and the lack of sufficient lighting, he couldn’t see anything but blurry outlines. It was then he noticed one of the blurry outlines near the bed was _moving_.

Yugi let out a faint gasp, stepping back as the shape began to shift and reform into something more human looking. His breath caught as two piercing bloodshot eyes appeared on the creature, and realisation began to dawn on Yugi when it stepped forward. This was his captor, the dark mage, Atem.

Yugi felt his body freeze up at the thought of what the man in front of him was capable of, and suddenly his curious exploration didn’t seem like his best idea ever. What if Atem was going to punish him for wondering out of the prison cell? It wasn’t like he had locked the door, though. But Yugi couldn’t help but acknowledge the alarm bells going off inside his head. He had to step carefully here, or his life may well untruly be on the line.

Atem had his head tilted, his eyes burning holes into Yugi’s flesh. He looked as if he was trying to unravel all of Yugi’s mysteries with his gaze alone, two rounded spheres of crimson amid the abyss of darkness. He felt uncomfortable under the gaze, and couldn’t help but shuffle his feet under the pressure, glancing off to the side and the floor. Yugi then noticed what seemed to be a portion of shadow that was pooling at the wizard’s feet.  He squinted his eyes, the lack of lighting in the place removing any chance he would have had of seeing what the source of the liquid looking material was.

Suddenly Yugi remembered a conversation he had had with Ryou once. The white haired boy had taught Yugi how to create a small light using magic. Yugi’s knowledge of magic was fairly limited to his beast taming abilities, but Ryou believed that with Yugi’s skills he could expand his understanding of the other types of magic. The illumination spell was simple enough and easy to master, Ryou had told him, and would serve to be quiet useful in the future. Little did Ryou know that Yugi would be using it so soon.

He concentrated his attention to the palm of his hand, willing the magic to flow from his soul through to his limb. He extended his hand forward as a small white flicker passed over his fingers. Suddenly it exploded into a ball of bright energy that came to rest in his palm. With the room now significantly brighter, Yugi was able to get a better look at his captor.

Yugi immediately noticed was the thick line of blood trailing down Atem’s arm. No wonder he had found that pooling liquid to be so suspicious, it had been blood all along!

Yugi’s raised anxiety at the smell of blood pushed away the fear he had felt towards Atem as he rushed forward to Atem’s side. Yugi felt Atem freeze up as he kneeled down beside him to inspect his arm. The wizard pulled his arm away, suspicion weighting heavily in his eyes.

“Don’t touch me.” He spat, curling his lip in disgust. Yugi felt the hurt momentarily flash in his own eyes before he replaced it with his resolve. _How strange that he hasn’t made any sarcastic quips at me yet._ Yugi thought.

“Umm, look I’m sorry, but you’re hurt and you need medical help! Even though it kind of was your own fault for you know cutting your own shoulder… Do you have bandages anywhere nearby? You’re bleeding heavily from that arm…” Yugi trailed off, listing the materials in his mind that he would need to treat a wound of that size. Even for an adventuring Beast Tamer, his knowledge of first aid was pretty standard, but he knew for sure that the wizard would die of blood loss soon if the wound was left open. When he realised Atem had not made any move to help Yugi, he looked up, locking eyes with the other. The suspicion was still there, but was dulled slightly, masked over by the pain he was no doubt suffering in. For all that he had seen and heard, Yugi was finding it hard to believe that the man standing in front of him was really as wicked as the legends said.

“Listen, Mr. Dark Wizard Atem, you’re going to die if we don’t fix up your arm. If you won’t tell me where you keep your bandages- if you have any- then I can’t help you out.” Yugi pursed his lips, frowning slightly at the wizard. Well, he didn’t look anything like the angry wizard the others had led Yugi to believe he was- angry when provoked, sure, but getting angry didn’t mean you were immediately a bad guy. Bad people were ones who hurt others for personal gain, not people who hid away in bedrooms with giant gashes down their arms and pain in their eyes.

After a painfully long stretch of silence spent with their eyes locked in battle, neither side willing to back down, Yugi finally shrugged, breaking contact as he did, deciding that if the wizard was too prideful to admit to needing help, then Yugi would have to find a way to dance around his stubbornness. Standing up, Yugi walked over to the bed, using the light still sitting in his hand to illuminate the area.

The bedsheets were torn and smelt musty like the rest of the dungeon (castle? After all, it had a bedroom in it, dungeons didn’t have bedrooms did they?), and Yugi grabbed a fistful with his spare hand, testing their durability. Nodding his approval, he then pulled the section he had grabbed off the bed and brought them back over to where Atem was now huddled on the floor. He raised his head with Yugi’s approach, and Yugi dropped the linen in front of him, crouching down to further examine the wizard’s wound. The thickness of his arm meant that Yugi would need both his hands to apply the bandages, so he gently lowered the white ball of energy from his hand to let it float in mid-air, suspended via magic.

With both his hands now free, Yugi set to work adjusting the torn bedsheets into strips of material suitable to apply to the wound. Yugi would have preferred to have some medicine or white magic with him, but he hadn’t been carrying his knapsack with him back at the inn, and the only white mage Yugi knew of was Ryou, and he was probably very far away right now. Thinking of the mage gave Yugi mixed emotions. He knew that deep down Ryou cared about him greatly, and he felt that the mage never meant for Yugi to get mixed up in his mage’s business. That must be why he was lying to me- to protect me, Yugi thought, biting his lip. He couldn’t afford to worry about that too much now, he had a job to do.

Yugi shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. Maybe if he was lucky he could get the wizard to tell him more about what he was to Yami, and more about the innkeeper himself. Or if the grouchy wizard wouldn’t talk, he would simply wait to figure it out on his own later, or find a way to confront Yami again to discover all the answers. Right now he had to concentrate on treating Atem’s wound as well as he could, however. Grabbing one of the thicker strips of linen, Yugi began to wipe away at all of the blood that was oozing out, careful not to actually touch Atem with his fingers. Yugi wasn’t sure what to think of the wizard right now. He knew that he was supposed to be very powerful, but all Yugi could see was a person in need of medical attention, and Yugi wasn’t willing to leave anyone in that kind of pain.

So far Atem had yet to show any sign of reaction, aside from flinching when the cloth first made contact with his skin. He merely sat there, observing Yugi and his movements, keeping a watchful eye on him. Yugi could, of course, tell he was being watched, but he didn’t let it bother him; his work was more important right now, and he was sure that the wizard would thank him for it sooner or later. Better than being dead, right? Although the silence the other pressed made Yugi feel uneasy. Back at the inn, Atem had been full of snapping quips and an endless supply of sarcasm. But now, Yugi had barely gotten a sentence out of him. It was worrying, and beginning to increase his nervousness towards the other.

Soon enough the blood had been cleared away, and Yugi quickly exchanged the blood soaked linen for the strips of cleaner fabric. He worked fast to wrap the strips around Atem’s arm in the fashion of a bandage, letting the bands apply a slight pressure to help stop the blood flow. Yugi was so absorbed in his work he didn’t notice how his bare hands brushed against the wizard’s skin several times. With each touch, Atem seemed to flinch as if struck with a blow each time. The suspicion in his eyes was beginning to harden into anger, his eyes becoming two chips of glowing red fury against his poorly illuminated dark skin. As it was, Yugi didn’t notice the other’s growing rage until he had sprung forward, tackling Yugi and pinning him to the ground. Yugi yelped, looking up, confused momentarily as he tried to struggle against the new bonds that held him, but to no avail. The wizard’s grip was vice like.

“How dare you!” Atem hissed, a low growl forming deep in his throat. He sat up in a kneeling position, looming over Yugi, who was pressed rather uncomfortably against the cold floor. Atem’s eyes burned fiercely, although his expression was cold enough to freeze over even the most active of volcanos. Yugi was sure not even Arundel’s melting fire breath would stand a chance against that gaze.

“Don’t you know just who you are dealing with, boy? It would be in your best interest not to test me.” He said menacingly, and for the first time since waking up and arriving in this castle dungeon place, Yugi found himself feeling scared and helpless- two things he did not want to feel, let alone together at the same time. He was completely at this wizard’s mercy, and he didn’t enjoy the idea of that in the slightest.

“T-test you? But I was just trying to help you! You had a gash in your arm, and you needed to have it bandaged, or else you would have died!” Yugi said, trying hard to keep his voice even as he stared up at the wizard’s unnerving expression. He seemed to not care much for Yugi’s response though, as he snarled and pushed Yugi backwards, making him slide across the floor a little.

“Don’t play coy with me, Tamer!” Atem roared, all traces of other emotion completely gone from his face to be replaced with pure anger. “How _dare_  you try to use your tamer magic on me!”

Yugi was shocked, he hadn’t been expecting the wizard to say that. His Beast Tamer magic? But he hadn’t been trying to use it! Although, Yugi thought, he had lost his gloves somewhere, and with just his bare hands there was a chance that his magic could subconsciously activate. But the chances were low, and besides, that would only happen with beasts and monsters…

Yugi could feel his hair on the back of his neck prick up in apprehension. But if that had happened because Atem was a… He looked over cautiously to see Atem glaring at him murderously from where he stood, poised and reading to spring at Yugi again without a moment’s hesitation. This was the posture of a beast, more so than any Yugi had ever encountered before. The two deep red horns set into Atem’s head stood out in stark contrast to his blonde bangs, and Yugi couldn’t help but wonder exactly what species the wizard was.

“I-I swear that I didn’t mean to! If I did, I’m sorry, I was just trying to help.” Yugi mumbled, trying to get to his feet slowly, his eyes never leaving Atem’s. He held out his hands in a gesture of peace and surrender, hoping the wizard would settle down before he possibly reopened his wounds- or tore Yugi’s face off. Neither was appealing to the tamer at all.

“I’m just trying to help you.” Yugi said gently, his words coming out slowly so as not to provoke the other. Atem narrowed his eyes, a look of contemplation falling over his features as he looked back and forth between his bandaged arm and Yugi. He seemed unsure of what to do, although this moment of weakness was smothered over as the look of anger returned, though not as vicious as before.

“Why are you doing this? I tried to kill your friend.” His question almost seemed like a statement, the need for an answer not something that was asked for, more so than it was given willingly by the other. Something that Yugi felt was a quality commonly seen in royal courts, places that required people to wear masks to hide their emotions. Yugi couldn’t understand why Atem’s person commanded such power in this aspect. Had he been royalty, long before whatever incident that history wiped had happened? He said he was a wizard, and that title was only given to the best of the best. He remembered Yami mentioning something about working in a castle- but had that all been a lie as well? Yugi didn't know if he could believe Yami’s story anymore.

Yugi stared at him blankly, raising an eyebrow in question, “Isn’t it obvious? Because you’re in pain. Even if you’re not the best person, you still deserve help.”

“I am a corrupt dark wizard that no longer has any humanity, little boy,” Atem said, a crooked smile tearing across his face. “Pain is all I know.”

Yugi frowned, thinking over what the other had said. So much about him was puzzling to Yugi, and the more he delved into the mystery, the more Yugi wanted to solve the puzzle, to be able to paint the whole picture of this story. He was sure if Atem hadn’t interrupted before back at the inn, that Yami would have explained everything. But Yami and Ryou weren’t here, as much as it pained Yugi to admit, so he was left to solve the mystery by himself, on his own. And right now, Atem was the only other person who could help him solve it.

“But why? I don’t understand, so much about your life is a mystery, and no one knows your story. You said that you are corrupt, does this mean you were once not corrupt? What corrupted you? What role does Yami play in this? And why does no one know about you? I don’t—“

“You ask too many questions, tamer!” Atem growled, silencing Yugi immediately with a sharp look. “Who I am is none of your concern! And to hell with my human half!”

“But it is my concern!” Yugi protested, trying hard to ignore the death glare the other was giving him. “You’re the one who dragged me out here! It’s your fault I’m here! What am I supposed to do?”

“It wasn’t my fault you threw off my attack! It’s _your_ own fault for interfering,” Yugi opened his mouth to argue back, but Atem cut him off. “I could kill you, would that shut you up?” He sneered, his claws making rough clinking sounds as they scrapped against each other.

“Well I’d be dead, so yes, it would. But I don’t want you to.”

Atem huffed, turning around to lurk out of the room. “You’re impossible,” He growled. “Just shut up and stay out of my way.” He melded into the darkness of the hallway before Yugi had a chance to stop him.

“Great…” He muttered, looking around the room and running a hand through his hair with an exhausted sigh. He was suddenly feeling very tired. “What am I supposed to do now?”

* * *

 

“Yugi!” The white mage’s voice echoed in the large, empty hall. Yami watched him from where he was leaning against the bar’s counter. Regardless of the height of the ceiling and the length of the room, it felt too stuffy and full to the innkeeper.

Yami could only stare at the spot where he had just seen Yugi and his other half- Atem, as he so stubbornly still went by- disappear in a wispy cloud of shadows. His arm was still throbbing from where Atem had gouged himself, but it was a dull ache that lacked any real physical pain. It was more of a phantom pain, since he only received the sensation of the nerves being attacked. In fact, his whole body seemed to be turning numb the more he stared at the wooden floorboards.

“Yugi! Yugi where are you!” Ryou was frantically looking around for any trace of his friend, his shaggy white hair tossing back and forth over his shoulders as he swung his head around. After a moment Yami noticed him stop from the corner of his eyes, although he wasn’t paying the mage any real attention.

“You! Where did Atem take him!?” The white mage strode up to where Yami was standing, his hands roughly grabbing Yami’s shoulders and shaking him. “Tell me Yami! Where is Yugi?”

“I don’t know.” Yami admitted, wincing slightly from the contact with his aching arm. He was telling the mage the truth- he didn’t know where Atem had disappeared to. He was familiar with the magic the wizard had cast, but even then he didn’t possess the power to trace its source. He was about as useful as a farmer at a weapons market.

“Of course you know! Now tell me where your other self took my friend!” Ryou said, and Yami didn’t miss the fear that was leaking through the mage’s voice. He was reminded that Ryou must have not even have started his apprenticeship at the time of his… ‘Untimely departure’ from his wizard life. He was a mere boy in terms of the years of experience Yami had over him. And yet still, here the boy was, scared enough that it wasn’t his anger at Yami that was shaking his shoulders, fretting over the sudden disappearance of his most closest friend. _Friend… I had almost forgotten what it was like to have those,_ Yami though wistfully. Truly, when he saw Yugi and Ryou laughing together, it had sparked his memories of fonder times- times before the incident. But those were memories better left buried for now. He had to focus on the present, and find a way to deal with his other self, and Yugi. The first obstacle was the mage shaking from mixed anger and fear in front of him.

Yami pulled himself out of the labyrinth of his thoughts to put a reassuring arm on Ryou’s shoulder.

“Look, I don’t know where Atem took Yugi. I don’t think he meant to take him anywhere actually, which means Yugi got dragged along in the teleportation.” Yami paused with a frown, racking his brain for a way to trace where Atem had fled to.

“Teleportation?” Ryou asked finally, breaking Yami’s concentration.

“Yes, a spell of teleportation, to be more precise,” Yami explained. “If we could find a way to trace the magic’s signal, it could lead us to wherever Atem is right now. It’s just, with my current lack of power, I don’t know how…”

“Wait wait,” Ryou held his hands up, gesturing between himself and Yami. “Aside from how crazy someone having the power to teleport is- We? What’s this ‘we?’”

“You and me, of course. Who else is there? The cabbage merchant down the road?” Yami replied sarcastically. It warmed him to see he had at least regained his composure enough to make jokes, regardless if it was well received or not, and by the scowl on Ryou’s face, he assumed it wasn’t.

“There is no ‘we.’ I’m going to rescue Yugi by myself. You’re going to stay as far away from me as you can possibly get. I want to leave this city behind as fast as I can.”

“And you think I don’t? I want to help Yugi as much as you do, Ryou.”

“I think you’ve caused him enough pain, I don’t see why he needs anymore from you.” Ryou said coolly.

Yami glared in response. He could feel his aggressive emotions stirring more than usual with the recent appearance of Atem. Since his other half took all the anger and hatred with him when they split, Yami had found it hard to convey anything aggressive. But with the wizard’s return, Yami’s emotions were running wild. He felt like it would be completely justified if he was to punch the mage right now, but at the same time, it would be for Ryou to do the same to him. So instead, he just calmly exhaled, making Ryou wait longer for his reply.

“Can you really say any differently, White Mage?” Yami countered. He noticed the shock pass over Ryou’s face, only to be replaced with a look of concentration as he continued to speak. “You’ve been keeping secrets from him too, you know. He didn’t seem too impressed about it either. I believe we both owe him an apology.”

“Is that why you want to come? To apologise to him?” Ryou asked, his expression guarded.

“I owe him more than an apology- I owe him the truth. He asked, it’s only fair I answer.” Yami shrugged, watching Ryou for his response.

The mage took a few moments of deep thought to reply. “This,” He gestured to the staff that had been discarded on the ground. Yami hadn’t even realised the mage had dropped it, but then again he had been shaking him with both his hands, so he must have somewhere along the way after Atem and Yugi left. “Why were you both so surprised to see it?”

“Surely you already know the answer. After all, you would have had to visit the site to have found it- there’s nowhere else I can think of that would have housed the staff. Unless the high council took it, although I doubt their magic would have agreed with the darkness held within the weapon,” Yami realised he was rambling when he saw Ryou’s annoyed expression. He cleared his throat and started again. “What I meant is, it was my weapon when I was a wizard. I guess I should say it was _our_ weapon- both Atem’s and mine, hence why he was so surprised to see it. I thought it had perished in the explosion, but I guess its strong magic kept it from the flames.”

“But Atem only tried to kill me once he saw the staff,” Ryou argued, steering the conversation back to his point. “Why is that? It can’t be just because it used to be his weapon.”

Yami chewed his lip, unsure if he should tell the mage anymore. If he parted with such crucial information, it could mean the death of him. Could he trust Ryou to make the right decision regarding his life? Seeing as the mage had the staff, his literal life line at this moment. Ryou didn’t realise it, but he held a significant amount of power over Yami right now. _No… I can’t. Not yet. It’s too risky._ Instead, Yami opted for the shortened, less informative explanation.

“It’s not that it used to be his weapon, it’s that it _is_ his weapon. How would you feel if I took your mage’s weapon and started threatening you with it? I believe you provoked my other half, and he was more than happy to rise to the challenge. Then again, I can’t really talk for him. I still can’t work out why he came here, aside from to terrorise me, apparently.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Ryou for now, as the mage nodded, and Yami released a silent sigh of relief. _I’m sorry, Ryou, but this is one more secret I must keep for now._ He couldn’t have Ryou knowing what the staff could truly do.

“Fine, you can come, but I’m warning you- you take one step out of line, one small shady lift of an eyebrow, and you’re gone. It’s _your_ fault Yugi got taken. If he’s hurt, or worse… I will not hesitate to kill you.”

Yami could hear the sincerity behind the mage’s words. He didn’t doubt for a second that Ryou would carry through with his threat. “Dark words coming from a white mage, but I accept your terms. I will take responsibility for what my other half has done, since he cannot.”

“What do you mean?” Ryou asked in confusion.

“All he knows is anger and sorrow, I cannot fault his behaviour. If our halves were reversed, I know I would be doing the same as he,” Yami said, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. “Anyway, we should wait until tomorrow before setting off. I’d like to spend some time thinking over a way to track my other half.”

“Yeah, alright. We’ll leave at dawn.” Ryou nodded, bending to pick up the staff before heading upstairs.

Yami watched him leave, groaning when the mage disappeared. His eyes wandered back to the spot he had last seen the young beast tamer. “Yugi… What have I gotten you into?”                     

* * *

  

Dawn arrived far earlier than Yami expected. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the only evidence that he had actually slept. Everything else about his face screamed for his lack of deep slumber. He had been too worried about the trials ahead to be able to fall into deep sleep, and therefore had only managed to doze off for a short while before it was time for him to rise.

He cradled the mug of ale he had poured himself between his hands, sipping from it slowly as he looked around the room. It pained him to think it, but his gut told him he wouldn’t be returning anytime soon to his humble business- if one could call it that. Part of him was glad to be leaving the hustling life of Rohesia behind, but the other half wanted to stay behind, cradled in the safe confides of his wooden walls. But his other half had been right- Yami had spent too much time trying to convince himself that he could just move on from his past and forget about it. How had the wizard put it? _Ah yes…_ _Running away,_ Yami thought sullenly. The worst part was he couldn’t find any sound evidence to argue against his other side’s words. He had hit the nail on the head with it, and it made Yami uncomfortable to think about it. _Am I running away again now? Leaving behind this life to pursue what, exactly?_ What did he plan to do once they- presuming him and Ryou could find Yugi very much still fine and alive (Yami didn’t want to think about the possibility of him being anything else)- rescued him?

Was this a rescue mission, or was it just a mission to find Yugi? What if the beast tamer didn’t need saving, and Atem had just left him somewhere along the way to wherever it was he was lurking right now? Maybe Yugi was on his way back to them now, and he would return to find the inn empty, while Ryou and Yami were out in the world wandering around aimlessly.

Yami groaned, pushing the ale filled mug up to his lips to drain the liquid down his throat. _It’s too damn early in the morning for this._

He slammed the mug back down on the bench just as Ryou was descending the stairs. The mage looked like he had gotten even less sleep than the pitiful amount Yami had gotten- and that was saying something.

“You look like shit.” Ryou stated as he approached the bench.

“You don’t look any better yourself, mage.” Yami countered, refilling his mug and taking another swing.

“Is that alcohol?” Ryou asked with a frown.

“Yep.”

“It’s dawn.”

“And?”

“Isn’t it a little too early to be drinking away your problems?”

“It’ll take more than a little ale for me to reach that level. What do you care anyway?”

“If I have to travel with you, I’d like you sober, thanks,” Ryou spun around walking towards the inn’s entrance. When he reached it, he looked back, noticing that Yami hadn’t made a move to follow. “You coming or what?”

Yami groaned, staring down into the murky liquid in his mug. “Give me a moment.” He replied before he downed its contents. Ryou waited by the door, tapping his foot impatiently as he watched Yami fiddle around behind the counter.

Once Yami had retrieved everything he though he needed, he slung a knapsack over his shoulder before trudging over to the increasingly impatient white mage.

“Alright,” He sighed, failing to suppress the yawn that escaped him. “Let’s go.”

Ryou huffed, glad to be finally leaving as he exited the building. Yami took one final look back at his beloved inn. _It’s time to move on- to move forward. I’ve spent too long trying to live this fantasy that I’ve lost sight of reality,_ he realised. With a fleeting glance, he closed the door, turning his back on his life as an innkeeper of Rohesia.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Nine: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're out of Rohesia! Now both the plot and the characters are moving around~  
> Just a little bit of history with this- that opening scene between Yugi and Atem? That was actually the first thing I ever wrote for this story. Weird huh, starting with a scene in chapter nine? xD But yeah, back when Ren and I were discussing the plot (must have been late June I feel), I got really excited and wrote that scene. It had to be heavily edited from our original ideas, but still, it was the birth of TLD *sniff* we've come a long way since then ;u;  
> It's interesting writing scenes between Yugi and Atem, and I hope you guys enjoyed this one! Yugi is great because he knows crap all about everything going on, just like all of us bwhaha (well except me, I know everythiiiiiiing). Also, if you're a fan of Avatar The Last Airbender, you probably caught my little reference in there.
> 
> Next Week- Ryou and Yami go adventuring, and Yugi has trouble trying to work out just what Atem's problem is.


	10. Hazard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is Hazard by Richard Marx

 

_I think about my life gone by,_

_And how it’s done me wrong._

_There’s no escape for me this time,_

_All of my rescues are gone, long gone._

* * *

 

Outside, Ryou had stopped to stare at a map stretched open between his hands before he spoke up. “So past wizard,” Yami visibly clenched his jaw at Ryou’s label. “Any ideas on where we should go?”

“Not really. I couldn’t pick up any trace of my other half, nor Yugi. Almost all of my magic Atem has. I may have the knowhow, but I don’t possess the power.” Yami couldn’t help sighing. He had really hoped he would be able to come up with something last night, but nothing had jumped to mind. They were essentially at square one, with no idea how to track his other half nor Yugi.

“Well, image you’re the one with the magic power instead of a head of ale. Where would you go?” Ryou retorted.

“Hrn,” Yami pursed his lips, a hand coming up to his mouth in thought. “Well-“

Suddenly Yami was cut off as a loud roar rumbled across the city.

“What in the…?” Yami whipped his head around, trying to track the source of the sound. His line of sight stopped on a spot in the sky that was progressively getting bigger until it started to form into the shape of a dragon, and his blood ran cold.

 _It’s….!_ “It’s a dragon!” Yami yelled, pasting himself against the inn’s outside walls. He went to call out to Ryou to get down, but to his surprise the mage was simply starting at the beast, showing no implication of running anywhere. In fact, Ryou seemed to be walking _towards_ it.

“White mage! Where are you going?”

“Relax,” Ryou called back to him. “It’s just Yugi’s dragon friend.”

“Yugi’s…?” Yami rushed forward, jogging to catch up to the mage. “You mean Yugi tamed a _dragon_?”

Ryou gave him a look that said, ‘ _you should know that’_ before saying, “Your other self knew about him it seems. We should probably check in with the dragon to make sure Atem didn’t do anything to him. Yugi would kill me if his dragon got hurt.”

They walked out away from the small incline the inn sat atop and down the slope until they reached the fields that surrounded Rohesia’s walls. There were no famers out yet, and for that Yami was grateful- although he was sure some would have been woken up by the dragon’s screeching.

The dragon was waiting patiently for them in the fields, its wings curled by its side as it stood, watching them approach. Its eyes were trained on Yami as he gradually walked forward towards the beast.

 _You must be Yami- the one Yugi spoke of._ A deep voice rumbled in Yami’s head.

 _What the…?_ Yami frowned, glancing around quickly before his eyes settled on the dragon. “Was that… You?”

 _Correct. I am Arundel, friend to the beast tamer Yugi._ The dragon said, his long neck coiling around to bring his head down to eye level. He stared at Yami, his giant emerald eyes glistering in the early peeking sun’s rays. _You seem to possess the power to understand my voice- even without properly learning my language- something only a select few can achieve. On top of this, I smell a familiar scent on you that I must say does not bode well. You smell like the wizard I had a run in with the other day, and he was none too friendly. If it wasn’t for the fact that Yugi told me he trusted you, I would have shown no hesitation in tearing you apart. Now, I cannot sense Yugi’s energy anywhere. You will tell me where he is._ The dragon stated matter of factly. His tone left no room for debate.

“I…“ Yami bit his lip, shifting awkwardly. He stole a glance over at Ryou, who was looking around to the left, in the direction of the city gates.

“I think we should continue this later- preferably away from the city. People were sure to have heard Arundel’s rather loud yelling. I presume you’re not mortally wounded or anything, dragon?” He commented, shifting his gaze between Yami and the dragon. Arundel nodded in what seemed to be agreement, swinging his head around to amble off in the opposite direction of the city. Ryou followed, with Yami bringing up the rear. The innkeeper glanced back at his inn and the city, the place he had called home for the past few years. In the early morning light, the hazy sun’s rays bounced off of the tallest buildings- the ones from the upper district, covered in their glistering bright tiles and decorations. From the fields, it looked like a giant collection of glowing lights, the finer details lost to the distance.

 _I may never return here,_ Yami though sullenly. _This could be my last glimpse at the city of Rohesia._ For some reason, the thought didn’t make him as sad as he thought it would. Instead, Yami felt rather empty, like this point in his life wasn’t as significant as he would believe. Atem had been right- he really had submerged himself in this fake life for too long.

“You coming, innkeeper?” Ryou called. Yami turned around to see Ryou already a length ahead of him, almost to the tree line that marked the forest. He strode quickly to close the distance between them, deciding it was wiser to hold his tongue from saying something sarcastic back at the white mage.

It was time he moved forward with his life.

* * *

 

Before long they had reached the forest, and with the added cover over their heads they could breathe a sigh of relief. Yami peered behind them, keeping an eye out for any sign that they were being followed. The forest appeared the same as ever, and he was content that no one awake this early in the morning had had enough time to react to the dragon’s screeching.

“It doesn’t seem like we were followed,” Yami commented, wearily watching the dragon- Arundel- who had stopped several metres away, his head lowered and his wings curled against his sides to avoid brushing against the tree tops. He didn’t look very comfortable, and his eyes were trained on Yami, watching his every move. “I’m assuming you’re going to demand answers from me again.”

 _I have every right to, and you had better start talking. Yugi seemed to put a great deal of trust in you, and yet it seems to me that you have betrayed him. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t roast you._ Arundel growled, a tiny stream of smoke rising from his nostrils as if in warning. Yami had no doubt that the dragon would follow through with his threat.

“I’m afraid I don’t know where Yugi is,” Yami stated bluntly. “Hence why Ryou and I are headed out to try and find him.”

Arundel tilted his head, processing Yami’s information. After a moment he lowered his head to Yami’s level, his eye staring straight into Yami’s, so close that Yami could see the blurred outline of his figure in the dragon’s irises.

_I sense that you are not lying. I presume you have a plan of some sort prepared?_

“Um… Yes?”

 _Liar_. He snarled, rearing his head back. _If you don’t know where he is, how do you plan to find him?_

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Yami replied, looking down in regret. If only he had been faster to react back at the inn. If only he had the guts to stand up to his other half… _Now’s not the time for regrets, Yami_. He chided himself. He had a job to do, and a friend to find. “But any second spent not doing anything is another second Yugi could be in danger. My other half is volatile, there’s no telling what he’ll do to Yugi if we don’t…”

“If we don’t find him, I’m sure he’ll find us,” Ryou pipped up. “After all, I have his staff.”

“Hmm, yes I know.” Yami frowned, glancing at the wrapped up weapon strapped against the white mage’s back. Even though the majority of his magical power resided in Atem, he could still feel the pull towards the weapon. It wasn’t as strong as the first time he grasped the staff for the first time, but it was enough for the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. His whole body- at least, the part that was human- was telling him to get away from the magical weapon, that it was something to be feared. _Is this how they all felt, when I fired this? Was it painful? I can barely remember their faces…_

 _What significance does the weapon have?_ Arundel’s voice jolted Yami back to the conversation at hand.

“It’s… It’s- or I suppose, it _was_ \- the symbol of my status as a wizard. As all mages and magicians have their own preferred weapons, that of a wizard’s is forged and built just for them, often by them, for added resonance with the weapon.”

_Why are you no longer a wizard?_

“Because… I lost that right years ago. I can no longer call myself a wizard. I did something horrible, and I lost my title from it, as well as half my soul.”

Ryou chipped in at that. “That other half of your soul being the guy we know as Atem, right? What happened exactly to cause that? I’ve never heard of anything like it. No records anywhere throughout history detail the process of tearing a soul into two.”

“That’s because it wasn’t supposed to happen like that.” Yami whispered, crossing his arms defensively. It seemed that Ryou just never knew when to stop asking questions, although he supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised with how much the white mage had been hounding him since finding out his identity and link to the ‘Great Wizard Atem,’ as he called him. _The only thing he was great at was ruining our life, just like the only thing I’m good for is running away._ Although he would never admit it, his other half had really hit the nail on the head before. Now that Yami had the chance to think over his words, he realised that everything the other had said was true. He was running, and he was avoiding his responsibility.

_Regardless, this conversation can wait. There are more important things we should be focusing on- like finding Yugi. I have an idea, but it involves us heading towards the North-East. I will fill you in along the way, and you can repeat it to Ryou._

“…Alright. It’s better than travelling around aimlessly I guess.” Yami replied.

“What’s better? What’s going on?” Ryou frowned, clearly confused. Yami clicked his tongue, unfolding his arms to gesture at Arundel.

“He said that he has a plan. Somewhere up in the North-East.”

“And? Is that all?”

“Details to come later?” Yami shrugged helplessly. He was in the dark just as much as Ryou.

Ryou gave an exhausted sigh, shaking his head. “This is going to be a long journey. I just hope Yugi’s alright.”

 _Me too,_ Yami thought _. He’s in more danger now than ever._

* * *

  

“Hey! Don’t skulk off like that! Give me an answer damn it! I need food!” Yugi yelled out crossing his arms with a huff as he groaned in frustration.

“I already told you I don’t have any!” A snarl called out in reply. This was the third time this morning that Yugi was having this argument, and just like the previous two it was yielding no results. He was starving- he hadn’t eaten properly since he had disappeared from Yami’s inn in that shroud of darkness two days ago. He still didn’t have a clue where he was, nor how he got here, although Atem had vaguely mentioned something about teleportation once- although Yugi knew enough about spells to know that no magic user ever had mastered that skill, so he was doubtful. Atem, the name that had made Yugi tense up in fear just two days ago now made him groan loudly. The wizard was a pain in his butt, to say the least.

For the past day or so, once Yugi realised that the wizard wasn’t actually going to harm him at all (more so, the wizard spent most of his time avoiding Yugi’s company), he had passed the time walking around the broken castle, trying to get a glimpse into the outside world, any indication that would show where he was. All the windows showed were endless mountains that reached too high and obscured his view of anything beyond. As of yet, he hadn’t found any evidence to suggest anything.

There was the remains of what Yugi suspected was a library somewhere to the west of the structure, but a great deal of it had been burnt down, and the books that Yugi could find in decent enough condition didn’t contain any clues. He had found some detailing some ancient history, however, and had been reading up on them since. He had left the book on dragon history he had gotten from the wizard’s tower with Ryou back at Yami’s inn, although he wished he had it here now- it wasn’t as boring to read as some of the other books. But reading day in and day out grew boring, and with the lack of food, Yugi was beginning to feel fatigued. The only thing he had eaten was a few small nuts left over from the old kitchen of the castle (he still maintained that it was a castle- the only explanation for the types of stone used) that he had deemed edible. Since then, he had been living off the water he found in jugs in the castle’s kitchen. He suspected that it was also Atem’s source of hydration, providing the man actually drank- Yugi had yet to see him eat anything after all. _Honestly, if he wanted me dead, he could have the common courtesy to just lop my head off. This starvation is horrible_.

Yugi watched as Atem stalked out of the room, not in the least bit surprised that the wizard was avoiding his questions- again. But Yugi wasn’t in the mood to fantasise eating old book pages again, he wanted answers _. Why is it so hard to get answers out of him? He’s just as evasive as Yami was with Ryou… He_ shook his head, refusing to dwell on the thought of those two. He didn’t want to think about what was happening back at the inn without him there to mediate between the two. He just hoped that Ryou hadn’t torn Yami apart over Yugi’s disappearance.

It seemed that the more time Yugi spent in Atem’s ever ‘ _friendly’_ presence, the more he came to pick out similarities between the wizard and the innkeeper. Although Yami (at least in Yugi’s memory) remained the kinder and more understanding of the two, there are some obvious resemblances in their behaviour- the way they both tried to avoid questions being a major one.

Yugi sighed tiredly, starting forward after the elusive wizard. If he wanted any form of an answer, he was going to have to demand it out of the other. Passing through the doorframe and out into the corridor, Yugi saw the flicker of Atem’s red cape disappearing into a room further down. He followed, stopping in the entrance as he realised the wizard had no other way out of the room.

It was a study of some kind, with a large glass panel window on the far side, and what looked to be the remains of a broken desk in the center. The rest was bare- although some other chunks of wood in the corners suggested that it once held bookshelves or cabinets of some kind.

Atem turned around, not looking fussed at Yugi’s presence at all. In fact, he sighed irritably instead. “What do you want _now_ , tamer? I’m busy.”

“Same thing as before,” Yugi replied simply, his hands resting on his hips. “Food- and you’re not busy, you’re just sulking and brooding in here.”

“What do you think this is, a buffet service?” Atem snarled. “Go and get your own damn food.”

“I can’t leave this goddamn place and you know it- I’ve been searching everywhere for an exit, and all of the windows lead to a plummet down to a gorge. In case you couldn’t tell, this castle is built into the side of a mountain! How am I supposed to get down a _mountain_ I wonder, O Great Wizard?” Yugi didn’t even bother to hide the sarcasm in his voice, knowing the only thing it would do is serve to annoy the other more.

And as if on cue, Atem’s eyes narrowed at the statement. “Do not mock me, tamer.”

“Then stop treating me like I’m some kind of annoyance- it’s your fault I’m here, the least you can do is be hospitable about it.”

“If you will recall,” Atem held up a hand, pointing at Yugi as he began to pace back and forth in front of the broken desk. “It was _you_ who got in my way. I can hardly be blamed for your stupidity.”

“Me? You were going to attack my friend! I wasn’t about to stand around and let Ryou die!”

“The perhaps you should suck it up and deal with the consequences of your actions. And besides, it was the foolish white mage’s fault- he was asking for it when he brandished _my_ weapon.”

“Then it’s your fault you went ahead and lost it.” Yugi snapped. He was getting sick of Atem’s childish behaviour. Because in the end that’s what it was- childish. He was acting like a big kid who had had his toy taken off him. The tantrum phase had passed, and now he was sulking. _This is precisely why I like animals more than people,_ Yugi mentally sighed. _At least animals are more mature._

“I didn’t ‘lose’ it,” Atem stressed, his eye twitching. “It was taken from me when my soul was wrenched into two. I dare say that would cause anyone to lose anything they were carrying.”

“Fine, you didn’t lose it, but that’s irrelevant! I need some form of edible meat or plant soon, or I’m going to die in this cold, dark, hunk of stone.” Yugi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache beginning to form.

Atem seemed to hesitate for a moment, thinking it over. It was the first time Yugi had seen him consider anything Yugi had said properly, aside from the incident with the bandages on the first day, which Atem had conveniently forgotten all about once the bandages had been taken off. He stared at Yugi, his eyes searching for something Yugi didn’t know about.

“I suppose my other half wouldn’t be very happy if I killed off his play mate, would he?” He said after a moment, a light scoff in his voice. There was a thin veil of actual emotion behind the words, however, and Yugi was sure the other was actually considering it.

“…I guess he wouldn’t be, no. Then again, I wouldn’t be either, since I’d be the one doing the dying. This really has nothing to do with Yami, I just need to eat. Not everything is a war between you two, you know. Especially if you’re actually the same person. Then it’s just weird, you shouldn’t fight with yourself.”

“Hrn. ‘ _Yami,’”_ The other huffed, rolling his eyes. “Then again, what do I care if you starve? He might even cry over that, the blasted weakling. _Hmph._ Fine, I’ll find you something if it’ll shut you up.”

“Finally, thank you.” Yugi sighed in relief. Atem grunted in recognition, tapping his foot impatiently against the ground. When Yugi made no sign that he would move, the wizard growled.

“Are you going to let me though or what? And here I thought you didn’t want to starve.” He remarked sarcastically.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Yugi replied sheepishly, shifting out of the doorway. Atem shouldered past him as soon as there was room, mumbling insults of some kind under his breathe. “Wait… Couldn’t you just teleport out of the room? Like what you did back in Yami’s inn? Is that even teleportation? I heard that no one knew how to master it yet…”

“Tsk, you really don’t know anything about magic at all, tamer,” Atem snorted. “I can only teleport small distances at one time. To perform a large transportation would require, oh I don’t know, maybe a person with their whole soul and magical powers?”

“Well you don’t have to be rude about it,” Yugi frowned. Then something struck him. “If that’s the case though, how did you get back here? Or are we really close to Rohesia?”

“We are nowhere near that blasted city. I teleported us outside to the forest and flew the rest of the way back. You were unconscious the whole time. Rather heavy, might I add.”

“But why did you—“

“No more questions! Damn it, you are so irritating!” Atem raged.

“Well so are you!” Yugi shouted back crossing his arms. Atem looked like he was going to argue, but instead he growled before snapping his fingers and disappearing in a puff of shadowy smoke.

 _Damn it he could have done that before,_ Yugi groaned. _Great Wizard, yeah right, more like a great pain in my ass._ How had he ever been scared of this guy? Atem was nothing but a push over who was running from his problems, just as much as Yami was. Atem was quick to blame Yami for everything, but deep down Yugi was beginning to suspect that the two weren’t that different after all. _I’ve gone from needing to help one person to helping two. What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

 

 “So let me get this straight,” Ryou said. “You both really have no idea where Yugi is.”

Yami sighed, shaking his head. He couldn’t deny that Ryou was right- they really did have no idea where to start from. Arundel had lead them up towards the north, but after three days of travelling they had still yet to come across anything useful. Yami had secretly begun to have his own doubts about Arundel’s reasoning, but without any significant evidence to point otherwise, the dragon’s gut feeling was the only thing they had to go by. He had mentioned something about a bond with Yugi, and how he could feel the small tug of Yugi’s conscious pulling against his. Yami saw no reason to doubt the word of a dragon, so he had relayed the conversation back to Ryou, who had been sceptical from the beginning about the idea. Needless to say, the white mage wasn’t pleased with the response.

 _I am certain what we seek is in the North- that much I know. I’m afraid the rest of the details are rather hazy._ Arundel commented, and Yami translated back to Ryou.

“Well then what about your link with Yugi? Can’t you sense him anywhere?”

_I have been trying this whole time, but something is blocking him off from me. That, or the distance between us is too great. I believe that it is a combination of the two, as it was on the day Yugi disappeared. Even from where we are, I would suspect that I would be able to sense Yugi’s energy, but something must be hiding him from us. I suspect that Yami’s other half is using shadow magic to cloak their presence, whether it’s subconsciously or not._

“Maybe you’re wrong and we’re heading in the completely opposite direction.” Ryou replied when Yami had finished translating.

“Hmm, no I’m with Arundel here,” Yami nodded at the dragon. “I don’t believe my other self would be in the south, not with the Mage’s College in Malle and the Capital down there. If he’s still anything like me, then he doesn’t like large amounts of people, and he certainly wouldn’t be anywhere near Maul. No, the north sounds more like him.”

“And just how well do you know your other self, huh Yami? How well do you know Atem?”

“I-“ Yami paused, staring at the ground and bitting his lip. He didn’t want to have this conversation with Ryou, and he certainly didn’t want the fresh memory of Atem’s words haunting him anymore than they already did in his nightmares.

 _I sensed a very dark magic in him,_ Arundel spoke up, his emerald eyes locking with Yami’s as he snapped his head up at the dragon’s words. _It almost felt… familiar in a way. I worry I have crossed paths with him before- and I mean before he approached me the other night. It is corrupted, though, with confusion and misery._ _The magic he uses is foreign even to him._

“Confusion? What does he have to be confused about?”

 _I don’t know._ The dragon said simply. _I do not know who he is. But… Perhaps you do?_

“Me? I don’t know him any better than you two do. Once, maybe, I might have known about that part of me, but now, being separated from that part for so long… He’s as foreign to me as you say his magic is to him. It’s almost like we’re two different people now.”

The dragon paused, no doubt to process this information, his head raised to the sky in contemplation.

_Do you not want to return to him? To become one again?_

Yami stopped walking, his head swinging around to face the dragon’s. “Become one…? I… I hadn’t…” Yami chocked back the uncertainty in his voice.

Arundel was patient, his eyes soft as he waited for Yami to recollect himself. He appreciated how the dragon didn’t try to push his questions, more that he wove them around getting Yami to talk about the problem upfront. It was a kind of subtle thing that made Yami appreciate the dragon’s sincerity even more. _How I wish I had known you before, Arundel,_ Yami thought with a pang of regret. _This could have all been stopped if I had met a…_ He shook his head- now wasn’t the time to be filled with that all too familiar guilt. He would have plenty of time later to fill himself with self-pity and loathing. Right now, he had to make sure Yugi was alright. Gods he hoped Yugi was alright… He couldn’t bear the thought of losing another friend… Did he even have the right to call Yugi that anymore? He wouldn’t be surprised if Yugi hated him by the end of this. _After all, I deserve it…_

Something in him seemed to stir at the thought, and Yami realised he was falling back into the pool of regret again he had dug himself into all those years in Rohesia. Could he ever truly leave it, though? Maybe it was the only thing keeping him together, after all. The tears in his soul Atem had caused Yami had filled in with self-pity, and sewn shut with self-loathing. He was nothing more than a shell of broken emotions, no matter how well he could hold up the mask, he could only hide behind it for so long before the tide of raw emotions seeped through. He understood that now, from his time spent in the company of Yugi- and even Ryou.

Thinking of the white mage, Yami tossed a quick glance up Ryou’s way to see the mage had paused further up, trying hard to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping into Yami’s side of the conversation he had been having with Arundel. Was the white mage angry with him for everything? He supposed the he was- Ryou had proven he had a dislike for Yami since the moment he had walked through the inn’s doors. It had been a healthy sense of distrust for strangers at the beginning, but quickly Ryou had realised Yami wasn’t who he seemed to be, and then there was the day Ryou had confronted him about the shadow creatures…

Yami understood, he really did. He had a lot to be blamed for, and technically, as the other half of Atem, Ryou had every right to blame the innkeeper for the misdeeds of his other side. And he didn’t hold anything against the white mage. Ryou was allowed to be angry at him- it _was_ Yami’s fault Yugi had been taken away. Or… Was it? After all, Ryou had been the one to brandish the staff that had set Atem off murderously after the white mage, ultimately leading to Yugi’s decision to push the wizard out of the way to save his friend. But then it _had_ been Yugi’s choice to do that. He must have understood the implications of his actions. Surely the young beast tamer knew what he was getting into with all this? Then again, it had been his urge to protect his friend which had thrown the tamer in the path of danger. Yami felt that familiar pang of regret at that thought. There was a time when someone- a _friend_ \- would have pushed Yami out of the way of danger. Those days were long gone, cemented over from ever occurring again thanks to Yami’s own foolishness. Gods he had been so _stupid_ …

A large shape moved in front of his vision, and blinking back in shock Yami felt his eyes return their focus to the present, the glazed over appearance fading back to the original wine coloured shade his irises exhibited. The shape came into focus as Arundel’s head, the large emerald eyes shining in concern.

 _Are you alright Yami? You seemed to have become lost in yourself back there. I apologise if my question was too intruding…_ He spoke with a great level of worry for the innkeeper, and Yami couldn’t comprehend how the dragon seemed to care so much for his wellbeing when he was at least partially responsible for the disappearance of his tamer. He didn’t deserve this kindness, he hadn’t done anything to warrant this level of care. _How can a dragon be so kind, and yet half a one so…_

“No, you just got me thinking, is all. I really hate to change the subject, but uh Ryou?”

“What is it.” Ryou glanced back over his shoulder.

“Where are you leading us?”

“To Harrowlarn. It shouldn’t be too far from here if I remember correctly. I’ve got mage connections in the city, and they might just be able to help us find Yugi. Anything’s better than just walking around waiting for something to come and find us, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a proper mattress to sleep on for the night. You’ve got to take matters into you own hands sometimes.”

“I see that now.” Yami muttered, as much to himself as to the mage. Ryou seemed to regard him for a moment before simply nodding and turning back around to continue down the path.

_If you two are heading into the city, I shall wish to accompany you._

“But how?” Yami frowned. “You’re not exactly… Subtle, to say the least.”

 _That may be in my natural form, but not when I’m finished._ Arundel said. Yami opened his mouth to argue but found it widening instead as a change begun to come over Arundel. The dragon’s body began to shimmer, and a sudden piercing white light forced Yami to close his eyes. He heard the sound of air popping and the shine died down, allowing him to see again. In the place of the dragon was a man kneeling down. He looked to be in his early 20’s, and his skin had a tanned hue to it. The more Yami stared at it, the more it seemed just a little off putting- he could make out a reddish tinge to it, and it didn’t look right for any race he had encountered before. The man suddenly rose to his feet, stretching his limbs as he stumbled forward slightly before regaining his balance.

“Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve had to assume this form- I might be a little rusty with my balance and perception.” The man said, his voice sounding all too familiar to Yami, although hearing it out loud compared to in his head was a big difference.

Wait, is that Dragonic? Is that _Arundel?_ ” Ryou asked, his mouth gaping open in shock.

“I believe so,” Yami said, blinking away his shock himself before switching to Dragonic. “Arundel? I’m sorry, my Dragonic is about as rusty as your walking skills right now. What happened? And _how?”_

The man looked over at Yami, smiling. “ _Yes, it’s me. I’ve just assumed my human form for now, since- as you put it- ‘I’m not exactly ‘subtle.’ My words also can’t translate to your tongue like they do in your mind, so I’m afraid I can only speak Dragonic in this form._ ”

“This is your human form? I had no idea dragons could even take one.”

“ _You… Didn’t know dragons could change shape?_ ” Arundel seemed shocked. Yami shook his head, and Arundel blinked. “ _Oh… Well… I guess no one really taught you about our species._ ”

“…Not really, and I wasn’t in any real hurry to learn. I kind of had some problems that demanded my attention more as a wizard.”

“ _I see,_ ” Arundel said. “ _Unrelated, I’m sure. Shall we continue? I truly hate to bring this up, but I am also lacking the garments your kind wears..._ ”

Yami took that exact moment to look down in thought, and immediately turned away and around. “Ah, I see. Ryou!” The mage was already well ahead of Yami, and had taken the initiative to take off his cape and over robes, throwing them towards Arundel while leaving himself in his lose tunic that was usually hidden. Arundel wasted no time in donning the outfit, and when he was clothed he joined Yami and Ryou where they were standing, looking away.

“Sorry, but I wasn’t wearing clothes as a dragon, so the transformation didn’t really have any to give me.” Arundel apologised, tugging on his borrowed robe. It looked to be a size too big for him, and his arms were lost in the depths of the sleeves. Yami wondered why Ryou’s robes- that fit the white mage so snugly- were too big on Arundel. Maybe the dragon’s human form was too small, and he had chosen to appear younger for some reason. Arundel caught Yami’s eye, and he seemed to understand what Yami’s thought process was involving.

“ _I’m still considered a young dragon in my species_ ,” He explained. “ _So the form you see here is how old I would appear if I was a human normally. Rest assured, I am still older than all of you in terms of years I’ve lived, however._ ”

“Interesting, I had no idea.” Yami found himself laughing over it. The image of the proud dragon half swallowed by Ryou’s clothes was adorable to say the least. He had no doubt he would receive a slap or punch from the dragon should he voice his thoughts, so instead he remained silent as they headed into the city, Arundel tripping over occasionally as he lost his balance.

* * *

 

Harrowlarn had none of the fantastic splendour that Rohesia boasted, but it did have that snug city feel to it. Everything was crowded within the walls of a massive, well, _wall_ , Yami supposed- it was not as tall as Rohesia’s, but it was wider to accommodate the girth of the city. Inside, they found rows and rows of houses stretched out in the patterns of streets, cobblestone lining the roads. The gate marking the entrance into the city was on a raised position, and so Yami found that he could see down the streets quite far into the city from their vantage point. It had the overall feel of a true fantasy city, like something you would find in a novel or history tome.

Beside him, Ryou glanced at him in mild amusement. “This your first time in Harrowlarn?”

“Yes, it is,” Yami blinked at him, continuing his sweep of the city. “It’s certainly nothing like Rohesia.”

“Well what did you expect? Harrowlarn is a city of artisan crafts. Most of the people who live here practice a craft of some kind. Not many rich folks bother coming this way unless it’s to commission the masters.”

“Can’t say I spent much of my studying time learning about it. I guess I just never had a reason to visit here.”

Ryou looked at him for a long moment before responding. “Hmm, well, during my appreciate years I studied across a wide range of topics- not just the white magics.”

“Yes, I can see that now,” Yami commented, eying Ryou. He understood the underlying message Ryou was sending him, but he was too tired with all this arguing to further the conversation. “Where shall we head to first?”

Ryou frowned, clearly not amused by the innkeeper’s change in topic. “To the other side of the city. I have a friend from the college that lives there. He might be able to help us.”

“Very well, lead the way.”

* * *

 

As a general rule, Yami wasn’t the most comfortable in cities filled with large amounts of people. All the humans prancing around in their huge buildings and false smiles made him uncomfortable. It felt as if they were waiting for him to reveal himself so that they could swallow him whole. Part of the reason he had been able to deal with Rohesia better than these other large cities was the outer wall, where he could live in relative peace, away from the upturned noses of the upper class.

But it was different when people could _see_ him, when they would actually notice him as opposed to how invisible he had been in Rohesia. Sure, some of the peasant class had known about his existence, but they had kept their distance, and thus he never had to deal with any confrontations.

He glanced to his side to see Arundel looking just as uncomfortable- although in much better clothing as they had stopped to buy him his own outfit. The dragon’s gaze travelled over the buildings and people they passed with unease. He caught Yami’s eye, and nodded seriously, his face grim. They had agreed that since he couldn’t speak the common tongue, Arundel would pretend he was mute, and would nod or shake his head to respond to questions. He was keeping an eye out for anything dangerous as Ryou led them through the streets, while Yami tried his best to take in the brighter aspects of the city in an attempt to lighten the mood.

The houses were definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the Rohesian style. These ones were stacked together compactly, and Yami couldn’t see a single gap between them. It was as if the builders had made very long houses, and divided them up into sections of ownership after they were done with construction.

The main roads were wide and layered with thick stone, making the surface more even than that of most other cities, while the smaller back streets had more crushed up stones and rocks in the pavement. Yami could really tell that the craftsmanship in this place far surpassed Asren’s other great cities.

Soon enough Ryou stopped in front of a house on a side street. From the front, it looked no different from the rest to Yami, but he was sure Ryou knew what he was looking for.

The house was two storeys and stacked against the multitude of others stretching along the streets. The outside gave no indication that it was anything special, but when Ryou opened the door and Yami followed him inside, he could tell instantly that it was different.

Everywhere the innkeeper looked there were artefacts and ancient relics from so many different races and cultures. He saw old disused weapons in display cases lining the walls, and shelves packed with wooden and bronze statues- some of which looked strangely familiar to Yami. He felt a sense of Deja vu pass through him, and he shook himself to let the feeling disappear. The house gave off the impression that whoever lived here made a living studying the relics of the past. Yami supposed he was in the right kind of place then.

“Ryou! Is that your mop of unruly hair I see down there?” A voice called out from above. They both looked up to see the upside down face of a smiling young man. He dipping back over the railing before vaulting down, dusting off his pants before thrusting his arms forward to scoop Ryou up into a hug.

“It’s good to see you too Marik,” Ryou choked out, trying to wriggle his way free. “Could you possibly let go though? I’m starting to choke.”

The man- Marik- seemed to realise what Ryou was saying and released him quickly. “Oh, sorry there pal! It’s just been a while since you ducked your head this far north.”

Marik wore casual clothes- a dusty brown T-shirt and dark brown pants that stretched down to his shoes. Yami couldn’t help but notice the way the shirt was faded more around the torso while the colour on the arms was more vivid. It gave the innkeeper the impression that the man usually wore a jacket of some type with the outfit. His hair was smoothed back into tips that flung up behind his head, and high bangs marked the outside of his face.

“That’s true, but since I’m here I thought I’d drop by,” Ryou answered before gesturing at Yami. “Oh, and this is my travelling companion right now, his name is Yami, and behind him is his friend Arundel. He doesn’t speak however. We’re in a mutual travel agreement for… Various reasons.”

It was then Marik finally seemed to notice Yami, and he looked at the innkeeper funnily. “Yami huh? Well I’m Marik, treasure hunter extraordinary! Gotta say, never seen you two before…. I think. You new around here? Where did Ryou pick you up?”

“I, er. I’m from Rohesia.”

“Rohesia huh? You’re a little far from home, aren’t ya?”

“Well like Ryou said, we’re traveling together at the moment. I had to leave that life behind.”

“Hmm,” Marik narrowed his eyes, sizing the innkeeper up. Part of Yami wished that he would annoy Arundel instead, but the other part reasoned that Arundel would be more awkward to strike up a conversation with. “Actually, now that I look at you, you seem quite familiar. Like, _really_ familiar. Have we met before? Are you a mage? Bounty Hunter?”

“Once I was a mage, long ago, but not anymore.” Yami sighed, shaking his head. Marik just stared at him, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion at the innkeeper’s cryptic words.

“You remember that quest I’ve been on?” Ryou mentioned helpfully.

“Ahhh yes, still looking for the all mighty Great Dark Wizard?” Marik said jokingly. Yami winced, bringing his hands to cross over his chest. _Is that what I am? A joke?_ Yami was glad that the part of him that was violent- the Atem part, he guessed- was not here instead, or he would be furious with the lack of respect. Yami would settle for a deep annoyance instead.

“Actually,” Ryou said, shrugging. “I found him.”

Marik whipped his head around in surprise, his eyes wide. “Wait, you did? Just like that?” Ryou nodded in response. “Well then spill it! I want to hear all the details! Where is he? What is he like? Is he actually still alive? I always told you that he died in confrontational stuff with the elder’s council, especially after the fire explosion. I always thought there was no way he could have survived the concentrated energies of all the old goats, even for one so powerful and crazy like him.”

“Wait… You make it sound like you were there.” Yami frowned around his arms, looking up at the bouncy young man.

“What’s it to you?” Marik rounded on him, suspicion thick in his gaze.

“Calm down Marik, Yami knows more about this than he lets on.” Ryou said, gripping his friend’s shoulder.

“How could he know more than me?” He whipped back around to face Yami. “Were you there too? _Are_ you a mage?”

“As I said- I was once, long ago. But I ascended from the rank of mage up the tier to wizard long before Ryou would have even begun his training.” Yami remarked, gazing coolly at Marik, waiting for his reaction, gauging it. The young man hesitated, his gaze becoming uncertain as he studied the innkeeper. He could tell that something deeper was behind his words.

“Who…” Suddenly Marik’s eyes widen, and he flicked them back and forth from Yami’s face to his hair. He lunged forward suddenly, grasping Yami’s headband in his hand before wrenching it back to reveal his forehead before Yami had time to stop him. “I knew it! You are familiar! You’re him! You’re… Atem!” Marik stumbled back, alternating between staring at Yami and Ryou in shock. Ryou looked just as surprised for a moment as he stared at Yami’s forehead. Arundel narrowed his eyes in contemplation from his position now shifted behind Ryou. In the center was the tattooed marking of an eye and several glyphs surrounding it. Yami scowled at his headband nestled in Marik’s grip as he brought a hand up to cover the eye on his forehead.

“Well, sort of. You’re half right.” Ryou mused, clearly enjoying the paralysed look on Marik’s face, although the white mage was still mulling over the tattoo on Yami’s forehead, the innkeeper could tell.

“Care to elaborate?” Marik spat back, an eyebrow cocked up.

“When the high council tried to seal my power away something went wrong in their spell,” Yami spoke up, the other two stopping their argument immediately to listen. “It ended up carving my soul in half instead, and I was split into two different entities- two different beings. I am one of those, and the other is going by our true name. He’s the one with all the wizard power, not me.”

“Woah, talk about dropping by for some deep conversational work Ryou. You’re really in deep with all this,” Marik commented. “Still, seems like you know what you’re talking about… Yami, was it? If you’re Atem- or at least part of him, I don’t suppose you remember me do you?”

“Remember you…? No, I can’t say I do, I’m afraid. My memories of the time before the split are hazy at the best of time. It was years ago. Should I…?”

Marik huffed, pretending to act hurt, although his disguise was easy to see through. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I was really young when you disappeared. I had just started my apprenticeship under the instruction of the college. I suppose it was really _your_ college when I was there.” He added jokingly at the end.

“ _You_ owned a college?” Ryou asked in disbelief.

“No, I didn’t own it. I just became the most powerful magic user there, and so everyone tended to take orders from me. Plus, it was kind of my castle, really,” Yami waved him off with a hesitant smile. He didn’t like all the attention they were giving him right now. “I’m sorry to hear you were in that college when I was there. I hope… Did you…?”

“Nah, it wasn’t so bad. After you… Left, all of us that had survived were sworn to never speak on the disaster ever again. Guess the council wanted your memory buried or something. I think they were scared that more of your, er, kind, would begin to emerge if word got out that one of the toughest wizards around was one.”

“Go figure,” Yami gave a huff. “After the way they treated me, you’d think they had learnt a better lesson from the whole ordeal. But, it sounds like they learnt nothing. How can humans learn from their mistakes if they are constantly covering them up?”

“You and me both, brother. You know, I never thought you were really a bad guy. Well, before the council tried to twist you to make you out as a monster. You had valid reasons for being angry and upset with them. And just about everyone, I guess. Some of the Magicians and Mages of the southern college were just downright rude to you, but I think everyone who spent time with you beforehand liked you just the way you were. Even as a teen I can remember that.”

“I… Thank you, Marik. It’s good to know… That at least some people weren’t against me in the end.”

“What is all this about now?” Ryou frowned, standing there at a loss in between Marik and Yami’s reminiscence. Marik just waved him off.

“Don’t worry Ryou, I’m sure I can fill you in with all the details later.”

“Wait, what about your vow? You cannot break a pact made in the old tongue.” Yami argued.

“Well you see, now that _you’re_ here, I can, actually. Come on, ask me how!”

“How?”

“Well I’m so glad you asked! It’s because you’re alive! That’s the loophole out of the pact. It was sworn when the council presumed you to be dead, and so, with you being not so dead now, I can worm my way out of it! Also, you’re a wizard, and you have the power to break a pact with your awesome powers, even without all your magical energy, remember?” Marik made a hand motion that resembled chopping at something, and grinned back at Yami.

“Of course… How could I forget that?” Yami shook his head, a smile creeping up his face. He felt like he could relax around Marik, the boy seemed sincere and honest in his words. _It’s nice to have someone have faith in me again._

“Well, you three are more than welcome to stay here while you work out all the stuff. I’m sure we’ve all got plenty of stories to share around the campfire, so to speak. I’m not actually building a campfire in my house, so don’t get excited.” Marik glared at them mockingly, but the effect was lost with the grin still plastered over his face.

“No arguments here,” Ryou tossed his hands up. “It’s about time I had a decent bed. There’s just something about sleeping on a mattress that is just so superior to bed rolls in a forest.” And with that said Ryou ambled off through a door Yami hadn’t previously seen, hidden behind some artefacts of some kind.

Yami turned to Marik, not sure what to do. Ryou seemed almost at home here, which led Yami to believe that he and Marik were old friends who were above the usual polite house guest rules. Marik seemed to catch on to Yami’s unease, and slung one arm around his shoulder and the other around Arundel’s, pulling them towards another doorway.

“You can stay in the other spare room Yami my good pal, and I’ve got another room upstairs that your friend here can stay in. Feel free to just relax and unpack and stuff, and I’ll come and get you soon for dinner. Sound good?”

“Yes, thank you. If you require any assistance with cooking just let me know.”

“Ahh, yes I remember now, you were quite the chef back in the day!”

“Still am, really.” Yami shrugged sheepishly.

“Aw man, you just _have_ to make those custard tarts again for me. I remember sneaking in with the other kids to the kitchen to swipe a few before dinner started. Good times,” Marik nodded to himself, smiling. “Oh, but we’re good for today. And besides, you’re the guest, you don’t have to work. Now I’ll let you rest or meditate or whatever you want to do while I take Arundel here to his room. See you soon!”

And Marik was out the door before Yami could utter another word, Arundel tossing him a confused look before he was pulled along with the treasure hunter _. I can’t believe I couldn’t remember him. He’s so cheerful and upbeat, even after witnessing my rampage at such a young age._ Yami smiled, but it was bittersweet. _How could he be so kind to me? I know he glossed over the details of the destruction of the college, probably partly from the vows, and partly from his desire to keep his friend out of it, but Ryou isn’t going to stop for anyone. Why do I get the feeling my whole life is going to be laid out for inspection soon?_

Yami sighed, rolling over onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling as if it held all the answers to his problems.

_I suppose it’s for the best- I need to stop running away from this. It’s time I started to mend the damage I caused instead of avoiding it. Soon enough, I’ll have to face my other half- Atem- and if I can’t stand up to that side of me, then I truly am no longer worthy of my name and title. But it’s more than that- Yugi’s life is in danger, and the decisions I make when I face my other half will determine not just our fate, but his fate as well._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Ten: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I can't believe how much you guys were worried about Arundel- I'm actually gushing so much over how much you guys love him. I count him as a kind of 'oc' in this fic, so it really makes me happy that you all love him in the story! I hope everyone is happy that he's safe now :''D  
> Next Time- Yugi has a semi civil conversation with his 'captor,' Marik cooks DINNER, and Yami finally stands up for himself- while sitting down.


	11. Before the Worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is Before the Worst by The Script

 

_Oh, who would have thought it would end up like this?_

_Where everything we talked about is gone_

_And the only chance we have of moving on_

_Is trying to take it back before it all went wrong_

 

Yugi had never been more confused in his life. There was one time when he was commissioned to help a rich person find their lost pet rabbit, and he had to spend a great deal of time searching over the entire city looking for a ‘special’ rabbit that looked the same as all the common breeds hopping around the city’s lower levels. Needless to say, it had taken Yugi a very long time and a lot of talking to rabbits to find the one in question, even though he could have technically just grabbed one off the street and the lady wouldn’t have even realised it wasn’t her rabbit.

But even that couldn’t hold a candle to the confusion he was feeling now (albeit for completely different reasons, he still would have preferred the mischief with the rabbits). All of the words exchanged by Yami and Ryou had led Yugi to believe that the Great Wizard Atem was a force of pure unwavering evil, that given the chance, he would wipe them all out without a since ounce of pity. And, not knowing any better and placing his trust in his friends, he had believed them. But now, Yugi was starting to doubt the extent of this so called unwavering evil that the wizard possessed.

Over the past week, he had been trying to maintain a degree of politeness and distance from the other- he had, after all, being informed that the wizard was dangerous. But ever since that first day when he had patched up Atem’s wound, he had felt something was off about his judgement. Since that day, the wizard had been trying his best to avoid Yugi, that much was true, but Yugi couldn’t figure out why exactly. He had reacted somehow to Yugi’s tamer magic, and whatever it had done to the wizard was enough for him to keep up his guard around Yugi, almost as if Yugi’s power had spooked him. But for some reason, he hadn’t tried to lash out physically at all, like Yugi had expected him to (he didn’t count that one time Atem had pinned him to the ground, as far as Yugi was concerned, it was more of his fault that day anyway). If anything, the wizard had avoided violence in all of their confrontations in the past week. He had blown up verbally at Yugi many times, but his insults held no real threat in them. It was almost like Atem was using them to drive Yugi away, but from what exactly he wasn’t sure.

The interactions had been wearing on his nerves, and being forced to wander around the same rooms and halls of the castle was beginning to give him cabin fever. He desperately needed to feel fresh air on his face, and got outside, and just do _something_.

“Argh, this is killing me!” Yugi groaned, running a hand through his hair as he closed the book he had been reading. It was something on basic magic principles, something he had been glancing over half out of boredom and half out of the need to retain some magic knowledge. He didn’t like the idea of his skills dulling while he was trapped in this place.

“I wonder what Ryou and Yami are up to,” He mused out loud, placing the book back on top of a pile nearby as he stared at the ceiling. “I hope they haven’t torn each other apart. I’m sure Ryou is out there somewhere looking for me, he’s probably blaming himself for this mess. Or he’s blaming Yami for it, but it’s not his fault either.” He let lose another sigh, standing up to pace around the room in thought.

_What am I going to do? How am I supposed to get out of this mess? There’s no way I could beat Atem at any challenge; I’m not stupid enough to fight a wizard in direct combat, and besides, his magic is everywhere around here. I don’t even think he’s consciously leaking it everywhere. This place must have some meaning to him, but I can’t for the life of me work out what- or where- it is._

“Geez, maybe I can just waltz up and ask him, and he’ll just tell me everything! It sure beats sitting in the dark here!”

“Ask me what, tamer?” A voice called out, and Yugi spun around on the spot to see Atem leaning against the doorframe, looking bored.

“Where we are, _Atem_ ,” He said, a frown creasing his face. He could sense another argument with the wizard coming, and he was prepared. “I’m sick of being left in the dark on everything. Why bother keeping me here if you’re not going to tell or do anything to me? I’m just sitting around reading these crusty old books, and half of them aren’t even any good!”

Atem pursed his lips at that, motioning towards the book piles Yugi had taken to stacking. “Which ones don’t you like?”

Yugi paused for a moment, suspicion halting his movements as he studied Atem’s face. Why hadn’t the wizard erupted into a string of insults or scathing comments?  Yugi had practically shouted at him. Something wasn’t adding up, and it was beginning to gnaw at Yugi’s worries as the wizard continued to lean against the wall almost calmly.

Not knowing how to react exactly, Yugi decided the safest option would be to simply answer the other’s question. He glanced over the titles of the books, finding one that hadn’t managed to keep his interests and pulling it out of the stack carefully to avoid the remaining books toppling.

“This one was pretty boring. I mean, I’m sure it’s a good book, but I wasn’t interested in the content.” Yugi explained, walking up and handing the book over to Atem slowly. The wizard took it and scanned the cover, scoffing lightly.

“What?” Yugi frowned.

“Nothing, I’m just glad to see you find my work so boring.” He replied sarcastically.

“Oh! Wait you wrote this? I’m sorry, I didn’t see the author’s name. I didn’t mean to insult your work.” Yugi mentally cursed himself. _Great job Yugi, that was a stupid thing to say!_ But then again, wasn’t Atem the one who had asked him which ones he didn’t like? Yugi had just being replying honestly after all.

“Relax, I don’t care if you like my writing or not,” Atem rolled his eyes, tossing the book back towards Yugi who flung his arms out just in time to catch it. “Besides, it was probably more my weaker side that wrote that, when you think about it. Not that it matters, since it was before the split.”

“Why do you talk about Yami like that?” Yugi wondered, fully expecting Atem to go into a rage at the mention of the other’s name. Instead, the wizard merely looked at him, a weak scowl on his face.

“Why do you think? I would think you had worked most of this out by now- aren’t you the detective type?”

“Ryou’s the one who has been looking into your history, not me. I’m in the dark in everything.”

Atem just scoffed again, but he answered Yugi regardless. “It’s because it’s all I know how to do, and because he deserves it. Let’s leave it at that. I’m too tired to entertain your endless questions today.”

“But that just gives me like a hundred more questions!” _Like why you haven’t yelled at me once today._

“Not my problem.” Atem answered simply.

Yugi chewed on his lip in contemplation, but just as the other was making to move off of the doorframe he blurted out his next sentence.

“I have another question, actually. Just one.”

“My compliance will only last so long, tamer. Make it quick, before I grow even more tired of answering.”

Yugi paused for a moment before he gathered the courage to ask. “What exactly are you?”

Silence fell over the two of them. Atem regarded Yugi with an unreadable expression. Emotions flickered through his gaze too fast for Yugi to identify them. The wizard looked like he wanted to do or say something, but whatever it was, he thought better of it it seemed, as he shook his head and tilted it to regard Yugi again.

“Have you ever heard the story of the half-humans and half-dragons, tamer?”

“You mean the demons?” Yugi’s eyes widened in surprise. _He knows about demons too? Just what kind of powerful wizard was he? Did he ever meet one?_

“Yes, if you want to go by the horrible slurs the humans decided to call us.” Atem growled, narrowing his eyes. He clearly was not impressed with Yugi’s word choice.

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just- Wait, did you say _us?_ Does that mean--?”

“Yes, I did,” The wizard huffed, rolling his eyes. “You asked what I was, and so I answered. I’m a half breed- just like you.”

Yugi’s mind was whirling with the sudden influx of thoughts. Atem was a _half_ _breed_? And more than that, he was half _dragon_? Yugi risked glancing over at Atem to see the man was still leaning against the door, his eyes trained on Yugi, judging his reaction. Suddenly the two deep red horns on Atem’s head made sense to him. _Dragon_ horns! And the way Atem’s pupils contracted into slits when he was angry. Yugi guessed it had an effect on his teeth too- there was no way after all that a regular human could have teeth as sharp as Atem’s. _Teeth meant to tear at meat, no doubt,_ Yugi thought, swallowing nervously. How could he have been so blind? How had he not realised before!? Sure, he had thought that Atem was far from human, but it all made much more sense now.

“Well? No reaction? I must say, very disappointing tamer. I was expecting at least one witty comeback from you. Honestly you should have worked this out by now. I never tried to hide it.”

“Why would I say a witty comeback? There’s nothing to comeback from. If anything, I should be apologising for prying so much. I guess a part of me just really wants to know about this big secret. I mean, back in that forest near Rohesia, Yami seemed really upset over the whole thing, and back at the inn he wanted us to stay away so we would be safe. It just seemed so out of balance for him. I hadn’t ever seen him look so… _Destroyed_. I think what I’m trying to say is, I wanted to help him. I still do, I _want_ to help him, and the only way I can do that right now is by finding out the secret he tried so hard to hide.” Yugi nodded to himself, a small sigh of relief passing through his lips at being able to finally voice his concerns.

Yami was a friend, no matter how little he thought he knew of him, and it was Yugi’s duty as his friend to help him when he needed it. And right now he felt like Yami needed help more than ever. _But it’s not just Yami, Atem needs help too, he just doesn’t realise it yet. He’s too consumed with rage to ever truly open up to anything, but there has to be a way to get him to see how wrong this all is. He’s not as evil as everyone thinks he is- I don’t think he’s evil at all. He’s more… Lonely._

Atem looked like he wanted to argue- maybe even yell for the first time today- but instead he hung his head, sighing. “How is it that a little tamer brat like you can spout out more wisdom than those old grey bearded fools could ever hope to?”

“You know, Yami said something similar along those lines.” Yugi laughed.

“Oh he did, did he? I guess we still have something in common after all then.”

“Yeah, I guess you do.” Yugi agreed. The two fell into a silence, but it was comfortable, and for once Yugi didn’t feel tension coming from the wizard.

* * *

 

Yami had never felt more awkward in his entire life. He was sitting in the dining room of Marik’s house, an empty chair resting to his right and Ryou sitting to his left, looking just as uncomfortable to be there as the innkeeper was. Arundel had left the city to scout out the surrounding area for any clues, saying something about how ‘awkward and nervous’ he was around Marik’s outgoing personality. Yami couldn’t blame him, although part of him wished the dragon had stayed, so that he wouldn’t be sitting here alone with Ryou.

Marik had left them alone with stern orders of, ‘ _don’t move until the food comes out or else!_ ’ and had promptly fled into the kitchen, where Yami could still hear him fiddling around with pots and pans. He had since decided that his hands looks far more interesting than anything else in the room, and had been quietly studying them. Ryou, however, kept fidgeting, and after a while he gave a huff, pivoting around in his chair towards Yami.

“Alright, Marik’s games have gone on long enough,” He said bitterly, shooting a glare towards the kitchen door, even though the occupant inside had no idea he was being glared at. “He clearly wants us to talk about something, and he’s not going to come out unless we talk or we go in there and drag him out; I favour the latter.”

“But he asked us to remain in this room.” Yami protested. He didn’t want to cause a rift between them and their host, but Ryou seemed determined to do everything to yank the thing open even bigger.

“And what, you’re just going to go along with it just like that? Coming from the guy who used to be a great wizard- or was that more Atem than you?”

“I _am_ Atem, I just don’t use that name anymore, and for good reason. You would do well to remember the power behind it.” Yami didn’t miss the jab made at him, but he also didn’t appreciate how loosely Ryou seemed to mention his name. For a mage well knowledgeable in many different fields of magic, he sure wasn’t very wise when it came to the power of names.

“Obviously he’s got all the power if he’s the one using it. I haven’t seen you do anything magical at all.” Ryou frowned.

Realisation dawned on Yami with Ryou’s comment. “You don’t understand, do you? You don’t know that Atem can sense when people speak his name, do you?” At Ryou’s confused expression Yami shook his head in disbelief. “Oh gods, no wonder he found us so easily in Rohesia… You were practically summoning him with a beacon! That would explain why the shadow creatures were so unruly at the time of your arrival.”

“Wait, what does this have to do with those creatures? I thought you said—“

“Well this is a first- not second guessing me for once?” Yami interrupted dryly. He couldn’t help the contempt in his voice- this realisation that Ryou had been going around blurting out his name made him realise just how inexperienced Ryou was as a mage compared to Yami’s knowledge. _I suppose there’s a reason he’s still a mage while I made it to the class of wizard,_ Yami thought.

“What do you want me to say? What do you want to hear? That I lied to you? Well I did, on multiple occasions- some you even saw through my words on. Let’s go down the list shall we? I’m not from Cyneric- in fact, I hate the capital with a passion. The people are fake and the council of elders comes from there, and obviously with my not so pleasant history with the old grey beards, I’m not that overjoyed by the prospect of seeing them. So yeah I haven’t stepped foot in that city for a good decade.

“What else? Oh yes, I’m not an innkeeper, I have no experience in that department, although I’m sure you worked that out already. It was merely my cover up to run away from my mistakes. I was never a professional chef either- I never trained for it, and I was certainly never an apprentice to the art. The skills I do possess in cooking, however, are my own. I have always had a knack for it, regardless of lack of training.

“Shall I continue? I know more about shadow magic than I do about most other types of magic. I was never trained in it, since dark magic is forbidden by the council, but I read about it much the same as you do now piecing together my past- although your work is sloppy and you still know so little about that mysterious ‘accident’ from years ago, despite your best efforts. The shadow creatures you witnessed me take down were offshoots of my other half’s magic- probably created subconsciously and without any thought to them. If you asked him, he probably would have no idea he was accidentally sending creatures to attack me most nights. But please, I’m sure there’s more to—“

“Alright, alright! I get it!” Ryou threw his hands onto the table as cutlery clanged and bounced around. “You tell a lot of lies, and I don’t think you’ve really said anything true about yourself- probably to throw me off my trail.”

“You would be correct in that assumption- at least partially. I did try to deter you from your fool’s quest, but I also got used to telling those lies to myself... I thought the more I would hear them spoken, the more likely they were to come true.”

“What… Do you mean?” Ryou’s face scrunched up in scepticism. Yami could tell the mage had no idea what he was talking about.

“I was trying so hard to run away from my past that I thought if I forgot about it, then I would be safe from the gut wrenching guilt and regret that associated itself with it,” He sighed. “I told myself those lies so that I would forget… But, somewhere along the way, I also forgot myself- who I am deep inside. I hate to admit it, but my other side reminded me of that. He was right, you know- I was running. But not anymore.”

Yami felt the resolution set as a hard ball in his stomach, the weight reminding him of the burden his memories held, and the consequences of his actions. He allowed himself a moment to wonder when the weak, timid, fear driven man he had been disappeared and left behind the determined creature now standing in its wake. He came to the realisation that it was only after Ryou and Yugi had arrived that his confidence in himself had started to grow. Ryou had forced his back against a wall, making him push back or risk losing. And Yugi… Yugi had helped him more than he had ever realised. The young tamer had given him his complete faith and trust, something Yami was completely undeserving of, and yet Yugi had been there every time Yami had stepped backwards, muttering kind words of encouragement for him to keep going, to move forward. Yami wasn’t even sure Yugi himself was aware of the positive effect he had on the innkeeper, nor how much he had made Yami question everything about himself. Yami owed the world and more to Yugi (and not just Yugi, he admitted Ryou and the dragon Arundel deserved some gratitude for the role they played in giving Yami a decent dosage of the real world), and he just hoped that wherever Yugi was, he was alright. Yami had one heck of an apology to recite to the tamer when they found him. _I didn’t just tell all these lies to Ryou after all, I told them to Yugi too, and unlike the mage, he believed my every word._

“Listen, I,” Yami’s attention snapped back to the white haired boy in front of him as Ryou stumbled through his words. “I’m sorry I dug at you so much. It was wrong of me to try and pressure you into telling me everything. I see that now. I guess… I guess I just got carried away when I finally had some solid ground to sit my theories on. I know, I know- your life isn’t some conspiracy theory, and I shouldn’t be toying around with something so dangerous. I guess in my quest of knowledge, I got so excited by the bigger picture that I didn’t stop to think what was happening at the time. And thanks to my ignorance, Yugi’s out there in who knows what kind of trouble. I shouldn’t have hidden such a big secret from him.”

Yami considered Ryou for a moment, watching how the other ran a hand through his hair tiredly. In his own way, Ryou had suffered from this journey just as much as he had, albeit for different reasons. After all, Ryou had yet to experience the crushing agony of having one’s soul split in half.

“It’s alright, I don’t blame you for any of this,” Yami started. “The fault is mine- I shouldn’t have run away from my past, and I shouldn’t have let you both be dragged into my problems so easily. I should have fought more.”

“Well you should blame me a little at least. I’ve kind of been a bit of an ass recently. Even Yugi told me I was overreacting, and I didn’t believe him. Goes to show he knows more about the state of the world than I do.” Ryou admitted. Yami had to agree with him there.

“Yes, Yugi certainly is far more powerful than he thinks he is. He puts too much of his belief in what other’s perceive of him because of his elf’s blood. He should be proud to have such a strong and kind heart. I’ve never known another with such a pure will. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had my other half hanging off his every word. He has such a rare gift of kindness, and it’s such a shame he hides it because of his lack of faith in himself.”

“You know Yugi’s half elf?” Ryou asked, shocked. Yami simply nodded with a shrug.

“Half breeds have a certain smell, and elves definitely smell different to humans. Add the scent of human and elf together and you have one very obvious half elf.”

“What do you mean scent? Are you telling me you were sniffing Yugi?” Ryou’s face looked appalled at the very thought of it. Yami couldn’t help himself- he burst into a fit of laughter at the face.

“No, no! I was merely referring to the traces of magic people are surrounded by!” He choked out around his snickering. “Their aura and what not. My senses are very keen to these patterns of magic, and they’re rather easy to trace and identify. Guess it comes with practice, though. I did spend a great deal of my youth honing such skills, even though I was oblivious at the time to what they meant.”

“What they meant?” Ryou echoed. “What do you mean? You’re been awfully mysterious right now.”

Yami sighed. He didn’t want to have this conversation right now, at the dinner table right before dinner was about to be served. Although judging from how Marik’s cluttering had stopped suspiciously close to the start of Ryou and Yami’s conversation, he guessed that dinner was indeed done, and Marik was having a healthy serving of eavesdropping for an entrée.

“Not yet, Ryou. Just give me a little more time to compose myself before I part with that knowledge. Rest assured, I _will_ tell you, but not right now. Certainly not with the young hunter trying so desperately to listen in on us without our consent.”

At his words he heard a swift, silent curse from behind the kitchen door, and suddenly Marik was there smiling sheepishly through the open crack. “Guess I’ve been found out huh?”

“For someone who used to live under my wing, you don’t seem to know very much about the extent of a wizard’s power.” Yami chided him. Marik slunk out of the doorway and into one of the chairs opposite the other two, grumbling under his breath.

“Marik! Were you eavesdropping on us?” Ryou settled a glare at the treasure hunter.

“If I said no, would that change anything?” He offered with a shrug.

“Unlikely.” Yami replied.

“Huh, tough love,” Marik shook his head. “Yeah I was, should have known the Great Wizard Atem would know I was listening.”

“You’re not the most proficient in sneaking around.” Yami reasoned.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I used to always get caught first in hide and seek games back at the college. I just couldn’t compete with Mana’s natural hiding talent.”

Yami froze up at the name, visibly stiffening. Ryou seemed to notice first, as he cast a wary glance Yami’s way.

“Hey, what’s up?” Ryou said, interrupting Marik’s rambling. The treasure hunter turned as well and must have realised his error, for suddenly he was launching back into conversation with apologies and subject changes.

“Oh man, I’m sorry Yami! I didn’t realise… I shouldn’t have said her name, I forgot… Well, I didn’t forget, but still, it kind of slipped out, and maybe I should stop talking. Should we discus something else? Dinner anyone?”

Yami was oblivious to Marik’s chatter- his mind was miles- and years- away, in another time and place. He saw the face of a young lady, laughing at something he said and punching his arm affectionately. They were best friends, childhood friends, from the earliest days of their apprentice mages. They had gotten into all sorts of trouble, with Mana dragging him into most of it, but it had only brought them closer as companions. Even now he could still make out her shadow, but her details were lost to him. It had been years since he had seen any of his friends- and it would be years more before he saw them again, if the afterlife saw fit to grant him entry.

“It should have been me.” Yami sighed, unaware that his thoughts had escaped into his voice. Marik cast him a pitiful glance, and Ryou pursed his lips in thought.

“What should have been you?” The mage asked, and Yami’s attention was forced back into the present, where the two men were staring at him curiously.

“I… Er…” Yami stuttered, his mind racing to think of an excuse for letting that slip.

“Maybe you- we- should tell Ryou everything now.” Marik suggested, his face grim but serious. Yami’s heart lurched at the idea, but the reasonable part of him said that it was the best course of action. If they wanted to stop his other half and save Yugi, then Ryou couldn’t be left in the dark anymore- he had to know exactly what they were going up against. And after all, the mage was the one that was so eager to learn about Yami’s past. He might as well know everything now that he had come this far.

“You’re right,” Yami agreed, nodding his head. “But before I begin, I’d like to know just how much you know so far Ryou- that way I don’t bore you with details you already know.”

“It’s not much,” Ryou admitted, shrugging mildly. “Whoever wanted you wiped out did a damn good job of hiding your existence.”

“It was the elder’s council,” Marik chimed in helpfully. “After you, er, _left_ , Atem, the elder’s wasted no time making sure everyone who had survive swore an oath to never speak of you and anything involving you ever again. Records of your existence were wiped clean, and within a month of your quote unquote ‘ _death_ ,’ no one else knew who you were, and those of us that did either forgot you or couldn’t mention you.”

“And which one were you, Marik?” Yami asked cautiously. Even though he hadn’t spoken to Marik much in his days as a wizard, he still wanted to know where the treasure hunter stood now. He had a feeling he would need all the help he could get when he confronted his other half, and Marik’s support would mean a lot to him should the hunter choose to give it.

“I always thought you were really cool,” Marik said with a grin. “You’re still the only wizard I’ve ever met to date, so I can’t really compare you to anyone else. And besides, I don’t think I could forget you even if I tried. I certainly will never forget the time you made that old magician think his food was possessed. His facial reaction will forever be burnt into my mind.”

“You did what?” Ryou asked, frowning in disbelief.

Yami couldn’t help the twitch of his lip at that. It had been one of his finer moments. “I cast a spell over an elder’s food that made it hover in the air without support.”

“And that fooled a magician- a person with magical powers of their own?”

“Oh no, I did more than that,” Yami chuckled. “I weaved in another spell that made it speak in fortune cookie readings. The magician had a muffin spouting nonsense prophecies at him all through lunch.”

“And it was _hilarious_!” Marik barked, laughing. “You should have seen his face! And the best part was he never found out who did it! Atem was a master prankster.”

“I wouldn’t say master, but if you ever asked me I would also deny it with all my power. It doesn’t bode well for someone as powerful as a wizard to be playing pranks.” Yami scratched his cheek awkwardly. He felt like Marik’s admiration was wrongly placed. He wasn’t deserving of such praise, not after the mistakes he had made in his life.

“Still, all work and no play can be quite boring,” Ryou said. “But I feel like we’ve gone off topic here.”

“Oh, you’re right!” Marik said, slapping his forehead. “I totally digressed there! You were telling us what you know about Atem, right?”

“Marik, could I ask that you don’t use my true name please? My other half can sense when someone speaks it, and I’d rather not attract his attention before I’m ready to face him.” Yami asked, smiling nervously at the treasure hunter.

Marik blinked at him in surprise. “Really? He can do that? Woah, consider me even more impressed. There’s no limit to how much you two can impress me. So you go by Yami now right?”

“Right, if you could. I’m not ready to take back my name- yet.”

“No problem, o mighty wizard Yami.” Marik grinned mischievously.

“Okay, so back to what I know?” Ryou said, and the two nodded, quieting so that the mage could continue. “Right, so it’s not much- as I’ve said- but I do know some things. I know roughly five or so years ago there was an accident of some kind that involved an explosion and destroyed an old building near Rohesia. I visited the place myself while I was staying there, and I saw the damage myself- the place was roasted, and not much was left of the foundations of the building. I also found this.” Ryou paused, pulling out the staff from the rags he had it wrapped in. Yami hadn’t noticed, but he assumed Ryou had been carrying it around with him at all times. He had originally thought that the mage had left it in his guest room, but he guessed he was wrong. He briefly wondered why he hadn’t sensed its energy before. The low, constant pulse of power it radiated even now was enough to make Yami scoot away slightly. Perhaps Ryou had enchanted the fabric he wrapped it in to cancel out the staff’s chime.

“Woah… No way, is that…?” Marik asked, his eyes huge as he glanced from Ryou to Yami. Yami nodded, not wanting to speak as he stared at the staff instead. It was beginning to make him uncomfortable, its ruby gem glistering and glowing slightly at the presence of its owner. The glow was subtle, not doubt from the staff’s confusion at Yami’s lack of proper power. He had a feeling it would be singing if his other half was here instead of him, but regardless the weapon still recognised a portion of its master’s presence.

“How in the whole of Asren did you find At- er, I mean, Yami’s staff? I thought it had shattered or was destroyed in the blast from the ritual. We all thought it was gone.”

“I found it essentially just lying around in the ruins.” Ryou shrugged.

“I don’t think it was just lying around,” Yami spoke up, directing both men’s attention to him as he learned away from the weapon. “I have a feeling it sensed a magical being was present, and it revealed itself to you.”

“Are you… Saying your weapon is sentient?” Ryou frowned, his tone sceptical.

“Not truly sentient, but it is infused with a great amount of magic,” Yami explained, pointing at the jewel at the top that seemed to glow a bit brighter at the mention of it. ”And it is also the weapon of a wizard. I have no doubt that it’s smart enough to know that it has a better chance of reuniting with its master if it was obtained by a magical being. I wouldn’t be surprised if it could influence your thoughts too.”

“My thoughts?” At that Ryou glanced at the staff nervously.

“In subtle ways, like encouraging you to continue in your quest to find me, which you didn’t really need any help with. But it’s made its way back to its owner now hasn’t it?”

“I guess…”

“I wouldn’t worry about it anymore- actually here, I’ll make sure it’s cut off from influencing you from now on.” Yami held out his hand for the staff somewhat hesitantly. He really didn’t want to think about what would happen if the staff wanted to influence _his_ mind instead. Ryou at least had his white magic to combat the magic somewhat, but Yami was mostly human, and lacked the power that his other half had. _If only I had gotten more than the ability to sense magic,_ he thought ruefully. _Then maybe I could be more useful._

Ryou seemed to waste no time handing over the weapon- no doubt spooked by Yami’s comments. The staff slid into his outstretched hand easily, and as soon as the cold surface touched his fingers he felt the shoot of power race up his arm, and he couldn’t help the surprised gasp that escaped his lips. His fingertips felt electrified, and suddenly the level of magic flowing through him increased dramatically. The staff cooed in his grasp as he brought his other hand to rest on the shaft, its chime ringing louder as it recognised its owner. Yami was expecting it to acknowledge him, but all his power and strength was with his other half- he wasn’t expecting it to resonate with him so well. And he couldn’t deny that the power flickering through his fingers didn’t feel good. In fact it was better than that, it felt _right_. And that scared Yami. He didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of his past, and he was scared that the power the staff whispered to him would destroy his sense of justice. He couldn’t lose control again, he would risk hurting everyone here- and more. He had a feeling that if it happened again, then this time, he wouldn’t break free of it.s

“Yami? Are you alright?” Ryou asked.

“Yeah buddy, you’re breathing pretty heavily there.” Marik added. Yami looked over to see the two frowning at him. He hadn’t realised that his hands had started shaking too. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing.

“R-Right, sorry. I just… The power of the staff… It just overwhelmed me for a moment there. I… I should be okay. Let me just…”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? Want me to take it back? I’m sure I can deal with whatever it wants to try with my magic.” Ryou said, his voice betraying his worry. Yami thought for a second how strange it was to have the same mage that had been hounding him for the past three weeks show such concern for him now. _Then again, I was responsible for quite a lot of misfortune. His mistrust was well placed, and I wouldn’t trust me with this weapon even now._

“I… I should be alright. It’s just thrown me off balance- I haven’t felt its energy in years. Don’t worry, I don’t think it’ll be corrupting me anytime soon,” _I won’t lose control and murder you all._ “It just needs to get used to my new wavelengths. It could take a while,” _I need to reel in its power and make it submit to me, not the reverse._ “Just give me a moment.”

Yami closed his eyes, not waiting for their responses. In his mind’s eye, he saw the stream of energy from the weapon, the way it channelled from the ruby gem down the hilt and through his hands. He felt that incredible power pulsing through him. He listened harder until he could make out the power pulses from the staff too, separate from his own. It was almost undetectable, the faintest of differences in their energies, but to Yami’s trained eye, he could tell that they were off sync. Yami’s energy pulsed to the beat of his heart, while the staff’s was off beat, having no heart of its own to dictate its energy. Instead, it was trying to morph Yami’s beat to match its, effectively speeding up his heartbeat and breathing. The increased speed would make it easier for Yami to make hasty decisions, and so Yami blocked out all other sounds, focusing on keeping his breathing even and slow. The staff faltered in its pulse for a moment, confused at the sudden change in Yami’s heartbeat. In that second, Yami pushed what little of his power he still retained against the staff’s, forcing it to deal with his calm unwavering state. It was effectively telling the staff who was in charge and reminding it of its place. Its pulse hesitated, its speed reducing until it was at an even level with Yami’s. He inwardly sighed in relief as the weapon began to beat in time with his heart.

He opened his eyes again to see the ruby glow back at him, content. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud of himself for taming the weapon. Part of him was afraid he would have lost to its power- the part of him that was the scared little human. But Yami was beginning to realise that he wasn’t as helpless as he originally thought he was. The staff that was embedded with his old magic, the magic that he had used to lose control of his conscious, he had beaten back into submission. Perhaps it had something to do with his absence from its energy for so long. He had suspected that being away from it so long had made the weapon unstable and volatile, but instead it seemed to have made it desperate to reunite with its owner. Yami was just glad he didn’t have to deal with the possibility of his weapon turning against him. The fact that it registered him- the part that was least like his original self- as its master, gave Yami a surge of hope that he would be able to hold his own against his other half.

“Alright, it shouldn’t give us anymore trouble now,” Yami said, finally bringing his attention back to the other two in the room. He noticed that the table was now covered in food- Marik must have dealt out dinner while he was out. “How long was I out for?” It didn’t feel like long to Yami, but it could have been an hour for all he knew. Time passed by differently when he wasn’t conscious of it.

“Not long, Marik just put out dinner. We figured we might as well start eating while you did your thing. It went well I assume?” Ryou explained quickly, wasting no time in occupying himself with the plate in front of him.

“Yeah, the staff shouldn’t be a problem now. I think I had better keep a hold of it from now on however. It’s resonated with me now, and it might not appreciate another magic user trying to wield it.”

“Suit yourself, it’s yours anyway,” Ryou shrugged. “As long as we can use it as a barging chip against the wizard.”

“I don’t think my other half will be as surprised to see it again. He might be to see me wielding it, but otherwise it’ll only serve as a way to fend off his attacks. I can absorb the majority of his magic into the gem should he chose to use it against us. It gives us a slight advantage, at least.”

Ryou just grunted in response, his mouth full of food. Yami took that as an opportunity to eat from his own plate. He examined it closer, eager to see what Marik had made for the evening’s meal.

It was a simple dish of roasted vegetables with a few slices of what looked to be roasted beef with herbs scattered on the top of the meat. The texture looked great, and as Yami brought a piece to his mouth, he could taste the distinct flavour of rosemary and thyme. The only thing he felt it was missing as he chewed on a piece was some garlic rubbed into the meat for the added taste.

“So what do you think Ryou? Yami? Did I do you proud?” Marik asked the two. He knew that both Yami and Ryou were practiced chefs- or at least had more experience cooking than Marik did.

Ryou seemed to mull over Marik’s words, his eyes trained on the food left on his plate.

“Hmm, I guess it could use more salt, but otherwise it tastes fine really, Marik.”

Yami waited until Ryou had finished, and Marik’s gaze was on him before speaking. “Did you use any garlic? I feel like rubbed garlic on the meat would have added to the flavour.”

“Of course! Garlic! How could I forget that.” Marik whined, hanging his head.

“But really it tastes fine Marik- in fact it’s very good. It’s just a note for next time, don’t worry.” Yami smiled.

“That’s amazing, that you can get that from just one bite. Are you sure you weren’t a professional chef?” Ryou asked, amazed.

“Not really,” Yami shrugged, his face flushing at the compliments. “I just had an interest in the culinary arts and spent some time honing my skills. Practicing magic all the time can get quite dull- as I’m sure you know. And besides, we didn’t have a cook at our college, so I had to step up and provide that roll.”

“Wait- you didn’t have a chef? Why not? Dare I ask why?” Ryou added the last line after noticing Marik’s grinning face.

“Oh, I can tell you about that.” He all but purred. “The old magician wasn’t the only one the great wizard Yami used to prank.”

“You make me sound like I used to do it for a living.” Yami sighed, shaking his head hopelessly.

“Are you kidding? All us apprentices used to live for your pranks!” Marik rounded on Ryou, his hand cupped to the side of his face in the mock form of telling a secret. “Listen here Ryou, our good friend Yami here used to pull pranks on the chef as well!”

“They weren’t really mine, you know,” Yami said quietly. “I only carried out the plans, but… Mana was the one who came up with the ideas.”

“Give credit where credit is due, my friend,” Marik winked at him. “Right so get this Ryou, there was this one time…”

* * *

 

“I think I’ve figured something out.” Yugi spoke up, his voice loud in the combined silence and depth of the room.

“And what, pray tell, would that be, tamer?” Atem growled back in response.

They were back in the study room with the broken desk and large window. Atem was pacing in front of the glass, dusting it off in places to stare into the courtyard outside while Yugi was perched on top of one of the sections of desk that appeared more flat and less splintery. The wizard had been sulking away in this room ever since he had returned one day with food for Yugi, and today Yugi was bored with reading. He wanted to get some answers from the man. _No time to beat around the bush Yugi, just get straight to the point so he doesn’t have time to dodge it._

“You’ve been trying to drive me away,” Yugi stated, his eyes never wavering from Atem’s form. “You’ve been driving me away because you don’t want to hurt me.”

The wizard flinched, as if Yugi’s words had struck a blow to him. “You know not what you speak of, _tamer_.” He spat the word out, turning around to settle Yugi with his fiery gaze. But Yugi couldn’t back down now. Atem needed to hear this as much as Yugi needed to admit it.

“I think I do, Atem. There’s a reason you haven’t lashed out at him since I got here. You didn’t expect me to jump in front of Ryou like that, and since then you’ve been trying to avoid confrontations with me because you don’t want to get as angry as you did with Ryou so that you’ll end up hurting me. You don’t want that, I know.”

“If that is what you believe than you are sorely mistaken.”

“You’ve been trying to warn me.”

At that Atem paused, shooting a confused look Yugi’s way. “What did you say…?”

“All this time, you’ve been sending me warnings about you. The visions in my nightmares- that was you, wasn’t it? And the pushing me away… Even subconsciously you’ve been doing it. I don’t think what they say about you is true Atem. I think deep down, you’re scared of your power, and what it’s done to people you care about. I think Yami carries the regret and guilt of both your actions, but you carry the fear that comes with the power. Somehow in all of this, that great burden of energy has been left on your shoulders, and without your other half to tend to your sanity, you’re slowly being overwhelmed by it.”

“And what, dear tamer, makes you think that you know so much about our soul?”

“I… Don’t,” Yugi frowned, taking in the look of scepticism plastered on Atem’s face. The wizard was so far in denial that most of what Yugi was saying he refused to believe- no matter how right it was. “But, I think I have a fair idea based on what I’ve seen of Yami and you.”

“Well this should be promising,” Atem muttered, his eyes narrowing. “Go ahead, tamer- enlighten me as to your understanding of a wizard’s soul.”

“Well… Your soul wasn’t exactly split down the middle, more like on a diagonal, if I had to guess. Yami still has a small portion of his power- er, I mean your power, or, I guess both of your power, so he can still sense things magically, which humans can’t usually do. You know this is all so very confusing to think about. You’re both so different, and yet the same.”

“You have no idea.” Atem grumbled under his breath.

“I might not understand as much as you, or Yami, but I think I do know what you have to do.”

“And what is that, tamer?”

“You have to make your soul whole again.”

Atem barked out a laugh, snorting in contempt. “If only it was so simple! You think I would have been skulking around in this forsaken place for so many years if all I had to do was walk up and merge with my other half?”

“Well, why can’t it be? I don’t see why not. Surely with a magic as potent as yours there’s a way?”

“Of course not, you could search through every Wizard’s or Magician’s library in Asren and you would find no solution. There is no way to return to how things once were- those times, are gone.”

“There is _always_ a way,” Yugi mumbled, staring at his feet in contemplation. “We just haven’t thought of it yet. Surely you want to be whole again… Right?”

Atem hesitated, mulling over Yugi’s words with a degree of scrutiny. He looked torn between two different options, and Yugi wasn’t sure what was running through the wizard’s mind. After a moment he seemed to have thought out what he wanted to say, and returned his surveying gaze to Yugi.

“You do not understand, tamer.” He sighed, almost in defeat. Yugi could see that there was no fight in his form, no witty comment coming forth to snap at Yugi in frustration. Instead, the wizard looked… _Sad_.

“But I’m trying to,” Yugi protested. “I’m trying to understand how to help you. Why won’t you let me?”

“Because… Because the last time someone tried to help, they ended up being burnt to a crisp.”

“Burnt? How—“

“I killed them,” Atem said simply. There was no emotion in his voice, and his face went deadpanned as he stared at Yugi. “I set fire to the college and burned them all- all my friends and colleagues, they all perished in my fiery rage. You once asked me why this castle looks so bleak and in disarray, and now you have your answer.”

“Wait… You, you mean… _This_ is the college you lived in? Where you became a wizard?”

“More or less, it is. It’s not where I spent my final moments whole, but I grew up here. I earnt my titles and then lost them in the blink of an eye.”

Atem stared out the window, his gaze clouded over- no doubt remembering his time spent here. Yugi didn’t want to interrupt him, but he felt like if he didn’t press for answers now, then Atem would just go back to avoiding the answers like before.

“Atem, what happen five years ago?”

“Do you really want to know?” Atem asked, bring his head around to lock eyes with Yugi, his expression guarded. Yugi nodded, and Atem sighed, glancing out the window again. “Then you had better be prepared to hear all the details. We have done some horrible things that you might not believe, but I won’t bend the truth. You’re about to find out exactly what happened five years ago, when I discovered exactly what blood was running through my veins.”

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Eleven: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, Atem's half dragon. Although I really didn't do anything to hide that fact, I never did outright say it until now (because Yugi needed a little push himself xD), but I feel like most of you got that already :D  
> Next Time- We find out exactly who the Great Wizard Atem was. Expect some flash backs.


	12. Losing my Religion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is Losing my Religion by R.E.M.

_Oh life, it’s bigger_

_It’s bigger than you_

_And you are not me_

_The lengths that I will go to_

_The distance in your eyes_

_Oh no, I’ve said too much_

_I set it up_

 

"Atem!” A shrill voice called out, and Atem had just enough time to turn around before he was balled over by a thick mop of brown hair.

“Mana,” Atem chuckled, pulling at the person above him weakly to get them off. A bright face grinned down at him with two, bright, hazel eyes staring down at him. “Alright, I give- would you kindly remove yourself from me so that I can breathe?”

Suddenly her eyes widened, and she scooted off of Atem, who immediately took a big gulp of air, straightening back into the standing position he had been in before Mana had attacked him.

“Sorry!” She said with a nervous laugh. “I didn’t realise I had a grip that strong!”

“Have you been working out?” Atem teased.

“Maybe a little!” Mana moved her arms up and down, flexing them in a pretend show of her power. Unfortunately her arms were too skinny to retain muscle mass, so she was just swinging around her lanky limbs, much to Atem’s amusement. She jumped a little, clapping her hands together as she seemed to remember something.

“Oh! Atem! I almost forgot- I need your help!”

“What with?” He said, leaning back against a cool stone wall. The chill that passed up his spine was almost uncomfortable, but he was too lazy to consider moving. Mana seemed to appreciate the cooler temperature of the room, however, compared to the heat they had been experiencing lately.

The weather had almost completely skipped over spring and headed straight into summer. This year especially had been hiking up the chart, and it was no secret that everyone in the college was uncomfortable with the heat. He could see Mana sweating more than normal from her activities- which was saying something, since most of the time the only exercise she got was running around the corridors avoiding work and her classes, which is what Atem believed she was doing right now.

“I need you to cast that invisibility spell on me so I can keep hiding from Mahaad,” She said, clasping her hands together in a prayer pose. “Please!”

And once again Atem’s intuition was right on the mark. “How is it Mana that this doesn’t surprise me in the least?”

“Because you’re an all-powerful wizard and you know everything?” Mana offered with a grin. Atem just shook his head, ruffling a hand through the other’s hair.

“You know you could be a wizard too, if you only went to your lessons more frequently.”

“I know, I know,” Mana sighed. “But I can’t help it! Mahaad’s classes are just so boring!”

“I happen to be of the strong belief that Mahaad is a wonderful teacher.” Atem countered.

“It’s not him, it’s more the topics themselves are boring. I don’t want to learn about boring spells and ancient history, I want to learn about the good stuff, like spells to turn you invisible or teleport!”

“Mana you know no wizard- much less an apprentice mage- has ever mastered teleportation- not even I attempt such things,” Atem chided lightly. “And besides, it is important to have knowledge of past customs and decisions made throughout history. Without that knowledge, we would be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past and—“

“Right, right, I knoooooow Atem,” Mana wined. “I just don’t wanna do it!”

“Well unfortunately, if you ever hope to rise past the rank of apprentice, then you’re going to have to start attending your classes.”

Mana didn’t reply, instead giving a loud huff before turning away, crossing her arms like a defiant child.

“Besides Mana,” Atem continued, easily pushing off the wall and moving around to face Mana once again. “You’re really talking to the wrong person about this, seeing as how I kind of run this college. That makes me in charge, you know?”

“You wouldn’t think about kicking me out would you?” Mana gasped, suddenly paying more attention to Atem.

“Hmmm, I might.” Atem teased, pretending to consider the option.

“Oh no Atem you can’t! I don’t have anywhere else to go! And you know me, there’s no way I could deal with having to attend one of those ridiculously uptight colleges down south!” Mana wailed, clearly taking Atem’s words too seriously.

“Oh Mana, relax- I was just joking,” Atem snickered softly, patting her head. “Anyway you wouldn’t even last one week at a place like Malle.”

“I’d give myself five days.” Mana giggled.

“And I’d give her three worth of homework.” Another voice spoke up, causing Mana to spin around to face the intruder while Atem just turned his head lazily- he recognised the voice anyway.

“Mahaad.” Atem muttered in greeting while Mana squeaked softly and took a step back.

“Uh, hi master! Fancy seeing you here! Did you need to talk with Atem too?” Mana spoke quickly, her eyes darting around the room, looking for any chance for an escape.

“Not likely,” Mahaad frowned, watching his apprentice. “Although I’m sure I can spare you the lecture. Something tells me our resident wizard has already given you one.”

“Of the sorts.” Atem shrugged, tracing the path of bricks in the wall to occupy his hands. He was only mildly interested in the conversation of the other two, knowing full well exactly how it would play out.

_First Mahaad will scold Mana._

“Mana you should know better than to bother Atem with your antics! He’s too busy running this college to have to entertain your habits!”

_Then Mana will retaliate with a childish scowl._

“Well maybe he should just give the place over to you if you’re going to be so uptight about it!”

_Then Mahaad will re-establish his place, and Mana’s by extension._

“I would do no such thing- Atem has reached the rank of wizard, meaning he is more powerful and knowledgeable about the magical affairs than we are. You’re only an apprentice, and one who doesn’t even attend classes. If you did your homework, you would know this.”

  _And then finally Mana will whine and give up to stop Mahaad from continuing his lecture._

“Well whatever then! It’s not my fault the lessons are so boring!” Mana stomped her foot childishly on the ground, moving past Mahaad to storm out of the room.

Mahaad sighed, glancing over at Atem who hadn’t moved from his stop against the wall. “What am I going to do with her?” He asked helplessly.

“Give her some time. She has a lot on her plate.” Atem said, his gaze resting on the ground where Mahaad’s feet were. He never really noticed, but the magician had long, smooth feet, and by extension toes, with a set of well-maintained nails resting at the ends of each one. Atem compared them with his own feet, which he never spent much time with, and how they had cracked, rough soles with longer nails. In fact, Atem noted, he should probably consider filing them back, they were sharp enough that he could slice through fabric with them. He distinctly remembered Mana mentioning the other day something about him prodding her with his toes and possibly drawing blood. She had been whining about it for a few days afterwards.

Or maybe he could hide them under some enclosed shoes, so he wouldn’t have to deal with it. Mahaad was right about Atem being constantly busy managing the college, but at least he didn’t have to deal with a place as big as the Mages College at Malle- he maybe had ten apprentices and several mages and magicians coming and going from his place. But that was just as he liked it- busy, small, and secluded from the prying eyes of the elders and their uptight ideals.

“I know, but she still should know better. She has yet to realise that times have changed since we were younger.” Mahaad said, his voice wistful.

“That is true, although you haven’t changed much since then.” Atem joked.

“Says the one who shot up the ranks to surpass even me.”

“Ha! Are you envious of my talent, perhaps?”

“Not at all- I’ve seen your power, and believe me when I say no one could hope to match you. I dare say that you’ve got to be the best wizard I’ve ever seen.”

“Mahaad, I’m the _only_ wizard you’ve ever seen.”

“The best in all of history, then.”

“You can’t really believe that,” Atem scoffed. “I’ve only been a wizard for a _week_.”

“But still, your power has far surpassed anything I’ve ever read about before. Just don’t let it go to your head, alright?” Mahaad joked. They both knew that Atem was too careful to ever let his status cloud his judgement.

Mahaad wiped a hand over his forehand, sighing exhaustedly. “It sure has been getting hot recently. The weather doesn’t seem like it’s going to let up anytime soon.”

“Indeed, although I must admit I quite enjoy the heat compared to the cold.”

“Then you are one in a million, my friend,” Mahaad laughed. “I find this heat almost unbearable.”

“Hmm hmm, still, I suppose my preferences do differ from everyone slightly. Make sure everyone stays hydrated and doesn’t strain themselves too much.” Atem suggested, repositioning himself against the wall. The sudden change from lukewarm tiles to cold, clammy ones made him jolt in surprise at the sensation, and he pushed off, opting to move to another place in the room.

“Of course, I’ll see to it that everything runs smoothly. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an apprentice to find.” Mahaad gave a half bow before pivoting around and exiting the room.

“Gentle but firm, Mahaad!” Atem called out after him, hearing a grunt down the corridor in answer.

 _Those two will never change,_ Atem thought, smiling. It was just like his best friends to lighten up his day. Their never changing acts always managed to bring a smile to his face. Especially now, with his recent role change into the head of the college, and the higher ups breathing down his neck- he needed the stress relief his friends supplied.

“Speaking of the old goats, I had better get back to writing out those reports.” Atem sighed out loud, stretching his hands above his head until he heard the satisfying _pop_ sound. He stared over at the door that Mahaad had left open a crack, contemplating his next move.

He had been working on finding a way to master the teleportation spell recently (although he would never let Mana know, lest she bug him constantly with her tactics of playing hooky all the time), and he thought he had almost gotten it to the point where he could transport himself successfully from room to room- without any repercussions or his cape getting wedged in the middle of a wall (to which, he lamented, he had to get a new one of). Although he had to admit, his new red cape worked well with his tanned skin, compared to his previous blue one. The deep shades of the material worked wonders to bring out the fiery glow of his eyes. He had had several people comment on them recently in fact, almost as if they hadn’t noticed their hue before.

“Alright, just one more try today.” Atem nodded to himself with his decision. At once he lowered his awareness of the surrounding area to feel his magical energy. Almost immediately the energy recognised his summons and began to flow through his body, until his fingertips twitched with the power. He pictured the room he wanted to transport to- his study chambers. He left no detail out in his mind’s eye, imagining the desk in all of its curves in the grooves of the wood, all the bookshelves filled with his own works and that of fellow magical users, and the great glass window that sat behind the desk, in a fashion that allowed him to gaze out over the courtyard down below where the apprentices sometimes practiced magic.

“Teleport me there.” Atem commanded his magic, and the energy pulsed in response. It enveloped him in brilliant shades of colours- so intense that he was forced to close his eyes as the light began to affect his vision. Suddenly, from behind his closed eyelids, he could feel the splashes of colour disappear. He risked peeking out from under his eyelashes to see a thick, murky darkness surround him. He glanced around in confusion, seeing nothing but hues of dark purple and the black of an abyss. _Did I mess up again?_ Atem thought in shock, worry gnawing at his nerves as he kept looking around.

And then, almost as soon as it had come, the darkness disappeared, weaving back down to dissolve into his shadow. Blinking in shock, Atem looked around to notice that he was standing in the middle of his study chambers.

“It… It worked,” Atem said, looking around in disbelief. When the realisation hit him fully, he threw his hands in the air in victory. “It worked! I teleported! And I didn’t lose my cape!” He laughed, jogging around behind his desk to plop down into the chair, snatching the closest ink pot and book to start scrawling notes over it. “I can’t believe I did it! Mahaad might be right yet about me!”

* * *

 

“You mastered teleportation?” Ryou asked in wonder. “But I thought it was still so far out of reach. To think that all these years someone knew the secret of it… That would explain how your other half was able to disappear without a trace so easily.”

“Yes, it wasn’t easy, and it did take quite a few tries, but I eventually got it perfected. That first succession was the start of my career as a wizard, although it would be a while before I told anyone about my newly found power.”

“Why hide it?”

“Because I never trusted the council, and I didn’t want to give them a reason to make the journey out to my college- or, even worse, summon me to Malle, where I would be judged viciously by their greedy eyes. It was never fun having to deal with them, but since my rise to the status of wizard, they didn’t bother me as much, probably since they realised I was a great deal stronger than them. I was always outspoken, too, and wasn’t afraid to speak my mind on worldly matters. I think they rather enjoyed me being tucked away in the northern mountain range- away from where they could see me, I suppose.”

“Not the most favourable wizard, were you?” Ryou said.

“Indeed, even though back then they had yet to realise my true power, but then again, so had I. It wasn’t until a week later that my whole world turned upside down when my true heritage was revealed.”

* * *

 

Atem yawned, transforming it into a groan as he stared holes into the pages on his desk. This was the third report he had to write in a row on the happenings in the college, and he was beyond bored with it all. He knew it was important to chronicle everything that happened in his college, and all the achievements and advances in magic that were happening, but that didn’t change the fact that it was beyond boring. _Why does no one else have to write these dreadful things?_ Atem mourned silently. _I swear the reason wizards are so hard to come by these days is because no one wants to deal with all the extra commitments you get given._ _All the smart ones are off being hermits._

Then again, half of his added duties were because he was the unofficial owner of the castle, and since it had been made into the college, he had another heap of responsibility thrown on top dealing with all the apprentices and other magic users that lived in his home. He was glad for the company, honestly, because sometimes the halls seemed impossibly close to him. Back before Mahaad arrived with several others, he had the constant pang of loneliness carving holes in his chest. But with the rooms and corridors alive with chatter and the magical energies of people casting spells, the place felt less lonely to Atem.

He let the quill he had been writing with fall out of his hands, opting to drum them across the desk instead. His nails clicked on the surface, and Atem couldn’t help but wonder over how sharp they were. Had they always been filed down to a nice and even point? In fact, they were starting to look a lot like his toe nails. He was still examining them when he heard a faint knock on his door before Mahaad poked his head inside.

“Am I interrupting you?” He asked in that polite way Mahaad always did.

“Not at all,” Atem replied, gesturing the magician forward. “You need my assistance?”

“No no, I was simply coming to hand over some of the apprentices’ class reports.” Mahaad said once he had made himself comfortable in a chair in front of Atem’s desk. He pulled the reports out of his robes, handing them over to Atem, who took them with a pained look.

“Lovely, just what I needed, _more_ papers.” Atem said sarcastically.

“Unfortunately such things are necessary when one owns a college.” Mahaad smiled.

“I never asked for it,” Atem mumbled, flicking his gaze over the papers. “Damn old goats were just looking for an excuse to dump some unwanted apprentices somewhere, and my castle happened to be the furthest away.”

“Still, would you wish us away for a reprise from your reports?”

“No way, I’m never letting you go,” Atem snorted. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Oh no, to be stuck in the castle of a powerful wizard. The horror.”

“Was that _sarcasm_ , dear magician?” Atem asked in shock.

“Perhaps.” Mahaad replied with a thinly veiled smile.

“You are learning,” Atem rumbled proudly. “I never thought I’d see the day when young magician Mahaad learnt _sarcasm_.”

“Hey now, I’m older than you, Great Wizard Atem.” Mahaad said. Atem cocked his eyebrow at the titles.

“Great Wizard Atem? Hardly, I’ve only been one for two weeks.”

“And yet you’ve mastered the impossible- teleportation.”

“Yes, well, let’s not go around whispering that to everyone shall we? I don’t trust everyone with that kind of knowledge.” Atem said warily. He didn’t want word to reach the council any time soon of his big achievement, although he had to hand it to Mahaad- he rather enjoyed the sound of that title.

“I know, but you worry too much, old friend. People ought to be out celebrating your discovery, not standing around oblivious to it. You deserve credit for your actions- not to be shut up here filing student reports.”

“Your words ring true, Mahaad,” Atem sighed. “But I’m in no mood to deal with their snobbish looks and voices. They would drive me mad with their uptight ways. Besides, can you imagine what would happen should word get out that teleportation could be mastered? It would be chaos. I just want to practice my arts- that’s why I moved up here, to the remote northern mountains.”

“And that’s why all of us followed you here,” Mahaad nodded in agreement. “We all wanted the peace and quiet that this castle offers, compared to the hustle and bustle of the big cities in the south. Even magicians in Harrowlarn have been complaining about the populace recently- they say that the city will expand to double its size in the next five years.”

“Truly? I may have to make the journey there if that is true. I would like to see what the city will look like.”

“How long has it been since you’ve left this castle?”

“Too long, my friend. Too long.”

“Ah, that is right- the council came here to ‘recognise’ your wizard status, instead of you making the journey down to Cyneric.”

“And they complained about the distance the whole time,” Atem grumbled. “I’m surprised they managed to get their ancient bones up to my castle. It’s not in the most convenient location.”

“True, but I like it. Keeps away anything that would be interested in making a meal out of us. Don’t need something with big nasty claws rampaging around here.”

“Indeed,” Atem frowned, his thoughts coming back to his own growing nails. _Claws…_ He supposed it was a more accurate name for them, but he couldn’t for the life of him understand why they were suddenly so sharp. He had always had nails that were pointier than most other people, but it was only recently that they had begun to grow sharper. “Mahaad… I have a question for you.”

“I shall help in any way I can.” Mahaad replied, a frown gracing his face. He seemed to have sensed Atem’s worry. 

Atem held up his fingers, gesturing with his chin at them. “What do you make of these?”

“Your long nails? Did you want my opinion on whether or not to cut them?”

“No, see here.” Atem took one hand and dragged the claws across the surface of the desk. A shrill screeching sound bounced off of them, as well as a fine layer of wood shavings from the exterior. He brought the hand up to Mahaad’s face for inspection.

“Oh dear, they are rather sharp, and to be able to cut through the wood like that… Atem that’s not normal.”

“I know, but I don’t understand what it means.”

“Well maybe it’s the residue from an experiment or spell you cast recently? Something could have crossed over with your work and caused some kind of excess nail growth.”

“Perhaps, but it’s also effecting my toe nails, and the nails themselves seem to stop at a certain point, and haven’t grown past since. I’m worried it could have some deeper meaning.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Keep an eye on it, and maybe it’ll wear off. If not, I can look into some of the ancient tomes for any evidence or symptoms that involve nail growth like yours.”

“Thank you my friend, that would help ease my mind.” Atem nodded in gratitude. He had this feeling deep in his stomach that this was more than it led on to. With Mahaad’s help, he might at least be able to get some closure for it.

“Not a problem, Great Wizard Atem,” Mahaad said, rising from the chair. “Now I better let you get back to your reports while I look into this matter.”

“Of course.” Atem blinked back at his retreating form, and then down to the papers on his desk before groaning. He had forgotten about those.

* * *

 

As the weather hit an all-time high, Atem gave everyone in the college a reprise from lessons outside as they stuck to the cooler rooms in the castle as a way to beat the heat. He opened up the bigger rooms downstairs, even going so far as to let the apprentices take classes in his massive waiting room, which was usually off limits to all but his closest companions. Giant glass windows were opened to offer the inhabitants the cool summer breeze, with Mahaad making sure that everyone kept up their liquids.

Atem, on the other hand, found the heat pleasantly warm on his skin. He didn’t know why it didn’t faze him, but every time he left the sun to slunk back into his study, he found the cool bricks surrounding him oppressive and clammy, making him uncomfortable.   

Mahaad had be getting worried about his strange behaviour, but so far his treks into the deepest parts of the library had yielded no results. They had been conducting research into Atem’s changes, with Mahaad measuring his nails and height, and anything else that could provide details to help them understand why he was going through this.

Atem stood in front of a pond out in the courtyard, relaxing under the sun beating down on his back. He had taken his hood off to allow his hair to get some of the sunlight- it had been looking rather shabby recently.

His reflection stared back at him, the same frown he spotted matching the water’s surface perfectly. A memory of Mahaad came to mind, something about how ‘he should frown less and smile more,’ on the account of how warm and welcoming he looked when he smiled. Atem tried to fake a smile, watching his reaction to see how he looked. _Now that just looks like I’m out to get someone,_ Atem thought with a snort. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing out the unruly locks.

Suddenly he noticed something in his reflection, and he leaned in closer, parting his hair in the same movement as just before. He held his hand back as he examined it. _I wasn’t seeing things, there’s…_ Right atop his head, there was two pointed… _Things_ in his hair. They were small enough that they were covered by his hood and wouldn’t stick out above his hair line, which might explain why he hadn’t noticed them before, but their tips looked sharp enough. But still, how could he miss them? What _were_ them? He brought a hand forward to prod at one, rubbing it after nothing bad seemed to happen. The surface was smooth, and yet bumpy, as he felt rings line the outside. He grasped around one of them, pulling upwards in an attempt to remove it. Suddenly a shot of pain hit his skull, and he stopped immediately. _What in the…?_ He tried it with the other one, and the same result insured.

“They… They feel like… _Horns_ ,” Atem gasped, letting his hair fall back over them. “Why do I have _horns?_ ” He took a step back, lost his balance, and toppled down onto the grass. He scrambled forward to the water’s edge, peering over at his reflection. His scared, shocked face stared back at him. He looked like he was on the brink of hyperventilating. _Mahaad,_ he thought quickly in his confusion. _I need to find Mahaad._

He wasted no time dipping into his magical energies, imagining Mahaad’s study in his mind’s eye before the bright light gave way to the darkness again and he was suddenly in front of Mahaad’s desk, a very confused and shocked magician staring back at him.

“Atem? Are you alright?” Mahaad blinked, coming around the desk to lean down next to the wizard. Atem collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

“Mahaad,” He rasped out, bringing a shaky hand to his head. “Look through my hair.”

“I’m sorry? You want me to… Pat your head?” Mahaad asked in genuine confusion.

“No!” Atem growled, blinking in shock at how easily his temper rose. _What is happening to me?_ “I have horns, Mahaad! _Horns!_ ”

Mahaad frowned, his eyes trailing up to the wizard’s head. He brushed his hair back, and Atem heard him gasp.

“You’re… You’re right,” Mahaad said. “How… Strange. When did you—“

“Just now. I teleported here immediately after I discovered them. What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know…” Mahaad brought a thoughtful hand to his mouth. “This is all so strange. I suppose I could run some tests on you to discover anything else out of the norm. You know, this would help explain your reaction to the temperature too.”

Atem cocked an eyebrow before he made the realisation.

“My fondness for hotter weather?”

“Yes… Actually, it’s given me an idea as to what the identity of your horns might mean,” Mahaad said, beckoning the other with him. “Come, to the library.”

“I could just…” Atem made a clicking motion with his hand.

“I think anyone in the library would be in for a shock if the two highest ranking magical users in the area suddenly walked up out of the shadows.”

“Fair point, the long way it is.” Atem admitted, following Mahaad as the magician snickered at Atem’s logic.

“Pull up your hood so we don’t arouse any attention from anyone.”

Atem nodded, doing as the magician said before they left the study.

As it turned out, the library was empty, and Atem had wasted no time pulling this fact over Mahaad’s eyes several times. The magician had busied himself with flicking through old books as Atem milled around the entrance hall.

“Ah ha! I knew it!” Mahaad exclaimed, pulling a single book out from the pile he had collected, smiling triumphantly. “I remembered reading something about this ages ago.”

“About what, exactly? You have the answers I seek?” Atem asked, peering over Mahaad’s shoulder as the magician turned the pages until he reached the one he was searching for.

“I do, my friend, although I’m not sure if the news will be welcomed.”

Atem frowned at that, not liking the implications. “I’m sure I will be able to handle what it is- I am a wizard, after all.”

“Very well,” Mahaad sighed, running a hand through his hair while staring between the book and Atem. “Atem, you’re a half breed.”

* * *

 

“What? A half breed?” Atem stumbled back, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “What do you mean a half breed?”

“You know the implications of being a half breed, right?” Mahaad asked, to which Atem nodded. He had met half breeds before, and read a great deal about them, but he had never encountered one with horns before.

“But what kind would I be, then?” Atem frowned, eyes scanning the width of Mahaad’s page. “I have never met a half breed with horns before.”

“And you probably never will. I checked the signs, and it looks like all of yours add up- the horns, the weather preference in extreme, the elongated claws, the ears, the—“

“Wait, ears?”

Mahaad motioned to his own ears, and Atem brought his hands to his, feeling along them for any abnormalities. His breath hitched as he cupped along the tops, his hands brushing against two pointed tips.

“When did…?”

“I don’t know, your ears are usually always covered by your hat that I and everyone else never see them. Do you remember ever not having pointed ears?”

“When I was younger, they were always a bit sharper looking than the other kid’s rounded tops, but I never…”

“Hmm,” Mahaad bowed his head in thought, tilting it sideways as he considered everything. “Perhaps it’s a kind of metamorphosis? Maybe it has something to do with your age, or your power- after all, these things started only getting more prominent after you became a wizard. Perhaps your sudden spike in power awakened your dormant other side. Have you removed your hood since becoming a wizard?”

Atem shifted through his memories, growing numb when he realised he hadn’t. He shook his head, staring at the ground.

“But… I can’t be a half breed. If the elder’s council found out, they would find a way to topple me off my position. All of my hard work leading up to becoming a wizard- it would all be for nothing. What am I? What is my other half?”

“I believe you are half dragon. All the evidence point to it.” Mahaad replied, his voice thick with sympathy. Atem could tell he knew this was a heavy blow for the wizard to take.

“I’m truly sorry this happened to you, Atem,” Mahaad tried to comfort him, placing a hand on his shoulder gently. “It’s not your fault you’re half dragon. It doesn’t make you any less of a person, though. Don’t doubt that.”

“I… Thank you, Mahaad. You always know what to say.” Atem sighed, hanging his head.

The two were silent for a moment before Mahaad chose to speak up again.

“So what do you want to do, Atem? You’re in charge here.”

“I don’t know, this has all happened so suddenly. I wish I had had a chance to prepare myself somewhat…”

“Do you want to keep your identity a secret? It won’t be long before the council finds out about it, but we can delay them for a good few months to give us a head start.”

“But a head start in what, Mahaad? Let’s face it, the moment the old goats down south find out, they’ll be in hysterics. To think that a half breed- and a _dragon_ one, no less- became a wizard and outranked them. I’m no fool, I remember the tales of what happened during the war. Do you know what they used to call dragon half breeds?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I read those scriptures too, my friend.” Mahaad said gently.

“ _Demons_ ,” Atem spat, crossing his arms and shaking Mahaad’s hand off. “They called them demons. Because apparently the spawn of two creatures so different means that it’s immediately blasphemy to a race as ‘pure’ as humans. And dragons were considered the monsters amongst beast because of how they fought against humans in the war.”

“I know that you’re upset with this sudden realisation, Atem, but we need to think rationally about this, otherwise we are just giving them more fuel for the fire.” Mahaad rested his hand on Atem’s shoulder again, and the younger sighed tiredly.

“This is not how I expected today to go at all.”

“You know they say the best things in life are often unexpected.”

“Who ever said that?” Atem scoffed jokingly.

“Me, just now. I’m thinking of putting it in a tome sometime soon.”

“You’d ruin any chance of sales.” Atem jeered. Mahaad just smiled in that knowing way he always did, his eyes twinkling as he winked.

“We shall see my friend. Until then, do not lose hope. We’ll work something out sooner or later.”

“Sooner rather than later, I hope. Otherwise, I might not have long to enjoy my various titles you have gifted me with.” Atem smiled, but it was a weak attempt to lighten the mood.

* * *

 

Unfortunately for Atem, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the elders’ council in the south eventually heard of the wizard’s true origins, and needless to say, they were appalled with the knowledge.  

They left the confides of the capital and Malle behind and began to make the trek up north. They stopped in a town along the way to plan how they would deal with Atem, but Mahaad caught wind of their plans. He told Atem about it, and the wizard took it upon himself to scout out the elders’ schemes.

He used his teleportation to make it to the town and hid himself from the elders’ magic, using his own magic to listen in on their conversation.  

“He’s too powerful!” One of them hissed. “If we try to off him now, he will retaliate with his wizard power and kill us all!”

“We know that,” Another spat, his hands sprayed across the table. “But what else can we do? Some of the other mages still side with him, despite knowing of his disgusting mixed blood.” Atem’s said blood boiled at hearing that, and had he not being trying to conceal his presence, he would have hissed loudly at the obvious lack of respect. _None of these old fools can even hope to compare their power to mine,_ he thought smugly. They were right of course- he would not hesitate to defend himself should they try anything funny.

“Then we must make then see sense- it’s dangerous enough letting that… _Thing_ rule over a college, let alone corrupting the young, weak minds of the apprentices and lower mages.”

 _Lower_ mages? If Atem’s blood had been boiling before, then it was erupting now. How dare they treat everyone else so lowly, like they were beneath them? And they thought Atem was the monster here. Just because another species blood ran through his veins didn’t mean that he was inferior or superior to anyone one blooded race. If he could see that, why couldn’t these old goats?

“We need to do something about him,” Another elder muttered. “We draw close to the college, and time is not on our side. Should we let the half-blood grow stronger, there’s no telling whether or not we’ll ever be able to stop him. We need to deal with this problem now.”

The rest of the elders all muttered there agreement, whispering under their breaths various insults and rude things about him that Atem could hear with his attuned draconic ears. The things they were saying disgusted him, and he was almost done listening until one voice spoke up, and his blood froze at the words.

“It seems there is only one thing we can do- we will have to seal his soul away into his name.”

* * *

 

“Seal your soul? How does that work? I thought your soul got cut in half.” Yugi frowned, unable to stop all the questions tumbling out of his thoughts.

Atem glowered at him, clearly annoyed at having been interrupted. “Do you want to hear this stupid story or do you want to keep interrupting me and stay in the dark?”

“Sorry, sorry, I get it- don’t ask questions.” Yugi threw his hands up, and Atem huffed in response.

“Obviously- if you stopped to think- you’d realise that the two don’t add up, meaning the old fools failed in their plan.”

“So they didn’t seal your soul away?”

“Does it look like I’m sealed away?” Atem snapped.

“Alright, calm down, I’m just confused is all.”

“Their original plan was to seal all of my power- my soul, in other words- away, with my name being the lock on it. A creative way of using my own power against me.”

“Oh, because a person’s name holds all of their identity, right?”

“Ah, he’s learning, finally,” Atem replied sarcastically. “Yes, because a person’s soul is linked to their name. It’s what makes them who they are. People are remembered by their name and appearance- and from that you get all their details, be it personality or achievements in life. All of that stuff is stored in a person’s soul, which is, once again, linked to the name. What would you suppose would happen if you severed the link between the soul and name, tamer?”

“That person wouldn’t have their identity anymore.” Yugi frowned. Atem’s story was starting to make sense now.

“Correct, their essence would be lost, and no one would be able to use their name to tap into their power in their soul anymore. And that’s what those idiots wanted to do- they wanted to use my name, the very source of my power, to seal away that exact same power. A bold move, but one that would rid them of their half-breed problem once and for all should they pull it off. Unfortunately for them, I was listening to every word of their plan, and so I had plenty of warning when the council sent out their request for an audience at my castle. You know, if they were smart, they would have lured me away from my castle, where I had the upper hand, but I guess for elders they weren’t that smart after all. After the events at the college, I fled to a remote building on the other side of the country- one that was used for those in need of isolation. I believe your mage friend is familiar with the location.”

“Ryou? How would Ryou know of this place?” Yugi blinked owlishly at the wizard, who scoffed in response. _He seemed to be doing that a lot,_ Yugi noted.

“Because I’m sure that’s where my staff was hidden. The old building stood somewhere outside of Rohesia, a few days travel or something like that.” Atem waved off Yugi as he opened his mouth to protest, but found that he couldn’t say anything in Ryou’s defence. His friend _had_ disappeared on and off for a few days during their stay in Rohesia- there were many times Ryou could have run off to examine old buildings in the surrounding area.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand though.” Yugi started off.

“More than one, it seems.” Atem sneered.

“Would you quit it with all the jeering? It’s not very nice, you know.” Yugi frowned, unable to stop from scolding the other. He was tired of all the snarky remarks- he just wanted to talk normally without having rude comments thrown at him all the time.

“Well I’m not a very nice person, _you know.”_ Atem mimicked Yugi’s frown mockingly.

“I don’t think you’re so bad- a little rude, sure, but you’re not evil.” Yugi commented. He felt a little smug when Atem’s mocking expression was wiped of his face.

“Well, whatever, let’s get back on track here, unless you suddenly don’t want to hear my tale of woe anymore?”

“First my question.”

“Persistence little tamer aren’t we? Very well, what do you want.”

“If this big event or accident or whatever you’re leading up to- when your soul was split- happened in a building near Rohesia, how did no one in the entire city know about it? I remember Ryou said something about you being wiped from history, but how can an entire city miss such a huge thing?”

“Probably because it wasn’t a very big thing. You could describe it as a blast, sure, an explosion even, but it was one of the magical kind. Not very visible to non-magical beings, but still, I’m sure the elder’s set up some kind of field to deter anyone from getting too close to the building while they were trying to carve my name out of me. Rather thoughtful of them don’t you think?”

“Very,” Yugi snorted at Atem’s thick sarcasm. He had to admit, the kind of roundabout way that the wizard would make (Yugi almost wanted to say jokes) those kind of comments appealed to Yugi’s sense of humour. It reminded him of the way Ryou would make passing remarks on things in the Mages College, in thinly veiled insults. “So what happened next, after they sent their ‘request?’”

“Well first I had to escape from where I was eavesdropping- a minor task for me with my knowledge of magic. And with my recent grasp of teleportation, I was able to sneak in and out without being spotted. It was in the same way I travelled here with you.”

“In sections?”

Atem nodded. “But after I returned to my home I had to find a way to combat their plans.”

* * *

 

Atem strode down the corridors of the castle, not missing the way the stone walls seemed to stretch inwards towards him. He was like a rat trapped in its own cage it had willingly walked into. He knew the elders would be arriving any day now- and sooner rather than later. He would be a sitting duck if they arrived and he didn’t have a plan of his own.

 _Think, you stupid fool,_ he growled inwardly at himself, cursing his lack of ideas. _Are you a wizard or are you an idiot?_

He reached his study chambers, wrenching the door open and kicking it shut behind him angrily. Once inside, he began to pace back and forth in front of his desk, scowling into the rug under his feet. He could feel his rage growing as he continued to be unable to think of a way out. His mind was suddenly blank and he had a burning pain in his chest that was driving him crazy.

“This is a fool’s errand!” He growled, lashing out at the first thing he could get his hands on. His clawed fingers gripped around a bottle of ink, and the unfortunate object crashed into the ground, spraying its contents over the plush fibres of the carpet. Atem didn’t even stop to lament the destruction of his expensive rug, instead looking over the top of his desk for more objects to throw.

“I knew you hated writing reports, but how can you finish your tomes if your ink is decorating the carpet instead of the pages?” A voice spoke up from behind him. Atem wasted no time spinning around to pin a glare at the intruder, but the moment he recognised him, his expression softened.

“Mahaad.” Came his clipped response as he looked away, unable to lock eyes with the other.

“Surely you haven’t grown so distant that you won’t hug your friend upon your return?” Mahaad’s smile beamed down at Atem as he held out open hands.

“I’m afraid I’m too upset to risk it,” Atem replied, a sad smile pulling his lips up. “I don’t want to lash out and hurt you accidentally.”

“I severely doubt you’d do that- you make it sound like you’re some kind of beast.” Mahaad frowned, stepping further into the room.

“I might as well be with how the council sees me.” Atem lamented, the dislike thick in his voice. Suddenly warm arms wrapped around his middle, and Atem fell back into Mahaad’s embrace. He growled his displease, but found he couldn’t be bothered to wiggle out of the older man’s grasp. He was too tired to deal with any unnecessary stress.

Soon enough the magician released him, but not before scuffling the other’s hair affectionately.

“There, was that so bad?” He teased. Atem just grumbled at him, crossing his arms.

‘Can we please be serious here? It’s my head on the block, so to speak- not yours.”

“True true,” Mahaad nodded. “But should word get out I’m helping you commit such treasonous acts, then I’m afraid mine will be up there right next to yours.”

Atem grunted in response, his mind already wandering back to his current dilemma. How was he supposed to weave his way out of the trap the elders had put him in? To deny them entry to his castle was to go against the council themselves, and there was an opportunity just waiting for Atem to lose his wizard status. He had to accept the invite, but to let them carry out their plan would mean meeting his untimely end.

“It’s not fair.” He growled out loud, frowning, Mahaad gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder, his gaze full of concern for his friend.

“I know it looks rough, but we can pull through. We’ve been in worst situations, you and I.”

“Yes, so we have,” Atem chuckled, shaking his head at the memories Mahaad’s words brought forth. “But this is different. Lives may be lost here, and I’m running out of time to make the right decisions.”

“Well whatever may happen, just remember I’m right here by your side, and so is Mana.” Mahaad added.

“Mana?” Atem echoed. “No, I can’t risk her life as well. She’s still an apprentice, oblivious to the dangers afoot.”

“But she’s your friend- _our_ friend- and she’s there to help and support you. And besides, you couldn’t stop her even if you tried. You know how stubborn she is when she gets an idea in her head.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Atem conceded, uncrossing his arms to lean them behind him on the desk. “But that doesn’t help our current predicament, only adds to it. What are we going to do about my death sentence?”

“I don’t know yet. Nothing in my teachings has ever discussed anything to do with sealing a soul. I know it can be done- several events throughout history detail occurrences of it, but most of those were long ago, and most involved dragons.” Mahaad frowned at his own words, looking like he wished he hadn’t said it.

“Full blooded, or half breeds?” Atem asked, although the distain was obvious in his voice.

“…Full blooded.” Mahaad answered, looking down. Atem just scoffed, shaking his head.

“Doesn’t really help our situation then, does it?” He replied sarcastically.

“Atem, please, I’m just trying to help.” Mahaad chided gently.

Suddenly Atem couldn’t control the urge to slam his fist onto the desk, and he let loose a string of growls and snarls as his hand hit the wooden surface.

“Then do something useful! This is getting us nowhere!” He screeched. Mahaad visibly flinched, the makings of fear evident in his features.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to set you off.” Mahaad said quietly.

Atem couldn’t form a coherent response. His vision was beginning to slip to red around the edges, and his heart rate picked up. He felt the urge to take out his aggression on something, but the desk was already stripped of throw able items. And besides, he didn’t trust his current state of mind not to take it out on Mahaad. The burning sensation in his chest was pooling in his stomach, and it ached horribly, only adding to his frustration. Something in the back of his head screamed at him to isolate himself, lest he risk hurting his friend.

He growled deep in his throat- something more bestial than could ever be human- and stormed out of the room, not sparing a glance back at his friend. He knew he had hurt Mahaad, but he couldn’t help his mood swings. The worst part, he reflected as he paced down the corridors avoiding all the common routes, was that his temper was getting worse. He could feel a kind of burning energy deep in the pit of his stomach where it was aching, and with every outburst it grew larger and more prominent. He was worried that there would come a day soon when he wouldn’t be able to contain his rage, and that on that day, he would do something he would live to regret.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Twelve: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! It's so weird thinking that this story is so close to finishing.
> 
> Next Week- Atem/Yami's story continues! More drama and tension because these two were full of it back in the day ahaha~


	13. Runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning* Character Death in this chapter. It's not sudden or subtle, since you all know people died in Atem's past, but still, the warning is there! (Should I put this in the tags somewhere I wonder?)  
> Chapter Title is Runaway by The National.

_What makes you think I’m enjoying being led to the flood?_

_We got another thing coming undone_

_And it’s taking us over_

 

The sound of shattering rang out in the room, the sizzling mess of a metallic target laid across the floor. Atem took a deep breath, lowering his staff as he scanned the room. There were no more targets standing on the poles, all of the remaining pieces scattered across the ground. He sighed, straightening his staff and leaning on it slightly.

The ruby gem planted into its tip was channelling his magic exceptionally well. In fact, his accuracy and overall power had increased in great length since placing a portion of his energy into the weapon. Now that it was resonating with him, he had no doubts that even the combined power of the elders couldn’t hold him back. It would look bad if he went up against them with power, of course, but the reassurance that he _could_ beat them if he needed to was worth it. He couldn’t risk his reputation anymore however- if he lashed out at the council, then he would be giving them a red flag warning to use against him, and they would be able to slander his name in accordance with his blood. Atem knew the council was just waiting for the moment when he slipped up, and he wasn’t sure anymore if he would be able to control his emotions.

Ever since his discovery of his heritage, he had begun to feel the effects of his dragon blood. Not only had his physical appearance begun to change, with his horns and canine teeth growing more prominent and his pupils slitting, but he had felt a change in his mental wellbeing as well. He felt himself getting angrier more often, and often over simple things, like with Mahaad the other day. He felt bad about it, but he couldn’t find a way to curb his destructive urges. It was like a trance would fall over him, and he wouldn’t be able to control his actions until he had purged himself of the violence.

A kind of burning sensation had begun to churn in his chest too recently whenever he grew annoyed or mad. It was the change that had caused him the most confusion and anxiety. At first he had brushed it off as a sick feeling from all the changes in his body, but when it hadn’t gone away, he had begun to grow more worried. He had no idea what it meant, but he was sure whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

He looked down at his hands with a frown, grasping the shaft of the staff tighter. _Something’s happening to me, and I don’t know what,_ he thought sullenly. _I’m changing, and I’m beginning to suspect it’s not for the best._

The staff glowed softly in response to his actions, extending its field of support as if in preparation for an attack. Its energy surrounded Atem, a thin layer of magic acting as a soother. He felt it trace his shoulders and curl around his stomach. It helped to ease his worries, but only just.

He still had the looming threat of the elder’s council to face, and with no real way to combat them yet. Just thinking about it was enough to bring his rage forward, so he pushed the idea back for now, instead focusing on honing his power. This training room was no use to him now, so he left, making his way to another one of the various practicing places of the college.

He wasn’t in the mood to deal with his friend’s worried faces; he knew they were concerned for his wellbeing and obsession with training viciously right now, but he couldn’t afford to spend time easing their worries. If he survived this, he would have time to apologise to them all. So instead of taking the trip through the corridors and risking being spotted, Atem used his teleportation powers to jump to another room, completely bypassing the hallways all together. If he just focused on honing his skills, maybe he could keep control of his growing power.

* * *

 

“So what happened next? Did you find a way to stop the elders?” Ryou asked, turning between Marik and Yami. “I’m assuming you worked something out, seeing as you’re still here.”

“Yes and no,” Yami answered. “But it wasn’t as simple as finding an easy answer. Something happened during the time between when I overheard their plan and when they arrived at my castle. My powers grew unstable, and the further I distanced myself from my friends and support, the more I fell into the hole that would be my demise.”

“Woah, a little dramatic, don’t you think?” Ryou whispered, frowning.

“Maybe, but it’s the truth,” Yami shrugged. “I drew distant, frantic with my research into how to save myself from my fate. Looking back now, I suppose it was my removal from my friends that was the final trigger in losing my grip on my powers…”

“And then you went berserk.” Marik finished for him.

“Yeah… Yeah I did.” Yami sighed.

“How exactly did you lose control? You sound like you had it manageable, even with some added emotion.”

“It was a slow spiral, or perhaps it was more of a plummet. Either way, my friends began to notice, and they tried to confront me over it. While I appreciated their good intentions, I’m afraid their interferences were too late. I was already too far gone.”

* * *

 

“Atem!” A high pitched voice called out, and before Atem could devise an exit path, he was tackled by a bundle of robes and brown hair.

“Arck! Mana! Release me!” He barked, squirming to be free of Mana’s grip. Her grip loosened, but not before Atem received a punch to his arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” Atem growled, rubbing his arm. It didn’t really hurt that much- his training recently had built up his tolerance to pain, but he faked it to give Mana the satisfaction she wanted.

“You big bully!” Mana pouted, crossing her arms. “I can’t believe you’ve been ignoring me and Mahaad all this time! Are we really so disposable to you?”

“Of course not!” Atem said without hesitation. “I’ve just been very busy with the whole, ‘the council wants you dead because you’re a half blood’ thing, you know?”

Mana’s face immediately softened, and she sighed. “I know, Atem, but you shouldn’t have to face this by yourself. We’re your friends, and we’re here to help- I know Mahaad has already given you this speech.”

“He has,” Atem’s clipped reply came out. “But this changes nothing. It’s too dangerous, and I can’t promise your safety.”

“I never asked you too!” Mana suddenly yelled, throwing her hands up. Atem immediately tensed, sensing a change in the atmosphere and conversation _. No please Mana don’t yell,_ Atem pleaded. He could already feel his fighting urges awakening at the rise in her voice. Even now he had to fist his hands to stop them from shaking, his sharp nails digging into his skin enough to make it uncomfortable. He did not want to lose control around Mana, just thinking about what might happen was enough to tell him he had to escape immediately.

“Mana please, you don’t understand, I can’t… I can’t control what’s happening to me.” _I don’t want to hurt you._

“Then let us help you! You’ve been pushing us away and look at you now- you’re just digging yourself a hole here.”

 _Oh believe me_ , Atem thought sullenly. _I’m doing more than digging it, I’m filling it back up again to bury me alive._

“I can handle this.” Atem managed through clenched teeth. He had to go, before Mana said something to set him off. He just hoped Mana would forgive him for disappearing mid conversation.

“Somehow I doubt that,” She said bluntly. “What happened to you Atem? You used to be so supportive and kind. Now look at you- you’re avoiding us, and whenever I see you, you seem so… Angry. Are you upset with us?”

“No! Nothing like that! I’m just…!” Atem couldn’t say anything, his whole body was shaking- whether from the hidden aggression or sorrow he couldn’t tell. “I have to go.”

Mana tried to protest, but Atem had already summoned his magic to take him away, and the last thing he saw was Mana’s sorrowful face.

Little did he know it would be the last time he would see his friend again.

* * *

 

“What happened to Mana?” Yugi asked, half asking Atem and half wondering out loud.

“She died.” Atem said simply, shrugging his shoulders. The nonchalant way he said it was supposed to lead Yugi to believe that Atem really didn’t care about her or his other friends, but Yugi knew better. He knew from his experiences with Yami that the both of them had deep feelings of regret over the events of the past- Yami was just more vocal with his emotions, whereas Atem had them hidden deep down, refusing to acknowledge them.

“But how? Did you…?” Yugi asked in a whisper. He didn’t want to finish the thought out loud, but he knew Atem had picked up on what he was going to ask anyway.

“Did I end up losing control and killing everyone? Absolutely.”

“What?” Yugi’s eyes widened in horror. How could he say it so casually, like it meant nothing to him? “How? How can you say that that you don’t care? You would have been heartbroken if you hurt your friends!”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Atem shrugged again. “If you’re looking for shame or regret, you’re talking to the wrong half. I’m not looking for your pity, tamer, I’m just sating your curiosity so you’ll shut up and stop asking me so many questions. Now do you want to hear how I killed everyone or not?”

“Yes, I do, but could you maybe explain it in a way that doesn’t make you sound apathetic to everything?” Yugi sighed.

 “This is all I know, tamer. If you want to hear this, then I suggest you shut up and listen.”

“Alright, fine,” _But is it really all you know, or all you can handle retelling?_ Yugi wondered. He suspected that if Atem tried to soften the story to make it look like he cared more, than he would be opening up the torrent of emotions he had hidden away. Yugi knew better than to hope Atem would face the problem, so he dropped it. “What happened next?”

“Next… Next came the fire. I knew dragons could breathe the stuff, but I never suspected that I had the ability hidden away...”

* * *

 

It was the day of the elder’s arrival, and Atem was losing it. He still hadn’t come up with any way to stop the elder’s plan, and now as judgement day had finally arrived, his nerves had eaten into his magic, making him jumpy at the sudden influx of energy that would pulse around him. It was like he had a trigger finger, and every time it flinched, he was greeted with a jolt of magic through his senses. He desperately wanted to sink back into a training room and blast out his built up frustrations and anxieties onto targets, but he was expected- as the ‘head’ of this college- to greet the council when they arrived.

Atem wanted to be as far away from his castle as possible- hell, even Cyneric was looking like the better option, and he would be killed on the spot there if anyone saw his horns, without even a hint of remorse. But he couldn’t run away now, to show weakness would leave him at the mercy of the council. No, he would not back down from this challenge. He had _earned_ his right to his wizard title, and there was no way he was going to roll over and die just because a bunch of racist old magicians and mages thought his impure blood made him a _demon_. _What a disgusting name,_ Atem thought angrily _. To think they would dare slander the kin of the great dragons with such disrespect! They only think they’re better because I’m half a dragon, but if I was full dragon, then they would be singing a different story._

“Atem…?” A voice called out hesitantly. The wizard glanced over to see Mahaad standing behind him somewhat. The magician’s hands were clasped together, and he was rubbing his fingers over each other- a nervous habit. Something was troubling the man, but Atem feared he already knew the answer, so he didn’t bother asking.

“Yes?” Came his curt reply.

“I just wanted to let you know that we’re here to help if you need us, and that I found—“

“Mahaad, enough. I know that Mana has spoken to you of our last encounter, and I know you’re concerned for me, but I can’t waste time worrying about everything that is out of my power. You two should leave before you become involved too much. In fact, you should leave right now, and take the apprentices with you. Gods know they don’t need to see what I’ve become.”

“Atem… You haven’t become anything- you’re still the same person inside, you’re just hiding inside yourself because you’re scared.”

“Mahaad.” Atem growled in warning. He really didn’t want to deal with a psychoanalysis of himself today.

“Atem listen to me please! You’re just confused! You don’t understand what you’re doing, and your mind is clouded by—“

“Mahaad!” Atem couldn’t take anymore- he _roared_ at him, his most trusted friend. The magician flinched, taking a few quick steps back from Atem’s angry form. “Enough! Why does it matter, I’m as good as dead anyway!”

“But--!” Mahaad tried to get a word in, despite how Atem’s form shook from rage. The wizard looked just about ready to rip into something, and unfortunately Mahaad was the only other thing standing near him right now.

“Just get out of here!” Atem hissed, closing his eyes as he fisted his hands. The uncomfortable pain of his nails digging into his skin helped keep his mind in the present, and stopped it from consulting other, more dangerous lines of thought.

Mahaad’s presence lingered for a moment before Atem felt him retreat, albeit hesitantly. He hadn’t meant to cause so much pain with his problems, but he couldn’t stop. The shear emotion of aggression that seemed to linger under his skin was sending him over the edge. He couldn’t think straight anymore without his vision blurring into red and his head pounding.

 _What is happening to me…? Maybe Mahaad and Mana are right,_ Atem thought worriedly, examining his hands as if they were the cause of his problems. The two perfectly clawed sets of fingers sat in front, their curved edges sharped to points. He never remembered filing them himself. They must just be naturally sharp, he figured. _All the better to slice at things…_

His horns were no better. He conjured a mirror with the flick of a quick spell to hover over his face, scrutinising the two, deep red appendages that sat atop his forehead, their bases lost in the thick locks of maroon and blonde hair. He touched them, running his hand across them slowly to feel the bumps along the runs. He could hardly believe that something so fine and smooth could be the cause of so much upheaval in his life. _At least I wasn’t born with a tail- then everyone would have known from the beginning what I was. At least this way, I had a chance to experience life before it all came crashing down._ Although he supposed he would have found a way to hide his horns sooner or later- it was his eyes that he couldn’t change. The slitted pupils that dilated with his emotions were impossible to hide with a spell. No mere human had them, so they were a dead giveaway during his transformation phase, when his dragon features started becoming more prominent. Had he only realised what was happening sooner, he would have been able to _do_ something…

“It’s too late for that now. They’ll be time later for regrets, whether that means here or in the afterlife.” Atem sighed. He surveyed the ground below again, watching the road that led up to his castle. The procession of elder’s would be arriving at any moment, no doubt prepared with some convenient excuse for making the trip so far north. They would try to get as many of the mages away from the college as possible before they begun the ritual. Probably to help cover up by saying they ‘freed the innocents’ or something like that. It made Atem want to growl in frustration at the foolishness of their lies. He wasn’t the villain here! He just wanted to be left alone, but they insisted on trying to ruin his life. And of course anyone who heard of the events of the northern college would immediately believe that a half breed demon went on a rampage and destroyed everything. No one would even consider that the story was been twisted with the elders’ lies.

He began to make out the procession that marked the elder’s arrival, and he motioned for the gates to be opened, letting them inside. He teleported down to the entrance hall, waiting for the elders to arrive. He kept a hand on his staff, which he had brought with him, using it as a kind of crutch. The added weight in his palm helped to remind him he wouldn’t be easy to deal with. _I am a wizard after all._

Slowly they began to file into the room, a group of five old mages and magicians in flowing robes. About half the size of the council itself, last time Atem had checked. _So not all of them are here to deal with me,_ Atem thought with a scoff. _Clearly I’m not big enough of a threat._

“Half the elders’ council, I see.” Atem let his voice ring out across the room, gaining all of their attention immediately. He didn’t miss the little twitches of annoyance at Atem’s choice of words. _Good, I was hoping it would hurt._

“Wizard Atem,” One of them- the representative of the group, Atem assumed- spoke up. “We have heard disturbing reports of your heritage recently, wizard. Surely you understand that if such implications are true, we are forced to reconsider if your status is—“

“Yes, yes, as according to paragraph ‘no one cares’ on page ‘racism central,’ I’m sure it’s a completely decent reasoning.” Atem rolled his eyes, not bothering to be polite.

The council seemed taken back by Atem’s nonchalant behaviour, muttering amongst themselves in hushed voices.

“Would the council be right in assuming that these claims are true?”

“I dunno, these horns on my head could be entirely fake, you know.” Atem replied, his voice laced with sarcasm as he tapped one lightly with a shrug.

“Then you leave the council no other choice but to revoke your title of wizard—“

“Yes, yes. You know honestly I don’t really care what you want to do. I just want you to get out of my castle. Looking at your faces is giving me a headache.”

“Young man, that is no way to talk to the elders’ council.” One of the other mages spoke up.  

Atem only scoffed at him, rolling his eyes. “I don’t care. And you don’t either really, since you planned on offing me since the moment you set out on this journey.”

Now _that_ caused a reaction from the elders, much to Atem’s pleasure. He couldn’t resist smirking at the gaping faces staring back at him.

“What’s wrong? Am I not allowed to be part of the ‘destroy the half breed scum’ plot? And here I was thinking you were here to invite me into the group. I guess not.”

“How did you…?” One of the elders stuttered, and they were all exchanging worried glances, the colour gone from their faces. 

“It’s a half breed power- you wouldn’t understand.” Atem said nonchalantly. He was lying through his teeth, of course- there was no magical half breed power like that (except perhaps mind reading powers prominent in other species) but it was too sarcastic for him to pass up saying.

Suddenly Atem’s stomach started making growling sounds, and he blinked down in surprise. _That’s not normal… No way is that trying to tell me I’m hungry_. At the thought of food Atem suddenly felt sick. _Yeah, definitely not hungry._

“Ah, that hurts. What is wrong with my gut recently?” Atem said out loud as he inhaled through his clenched teeth. Actually that’s… That’s going to be a problem- ah!”

He took a step back, groaning at the influx of pain the assault on his organs brought.

The elders didn’t seem amused by Atem’s sudden ignorance of them.

“We don’t have time for your games, demon! You have deceived everyone here, and you must pay for that.”

“No, it’s something in my stomach, I can feel it in my chest now. It’s almost like I’m going to…” Atem stumbled back a few steps, his hands gripping his chest as his breathing increased.

“Atem!” A voice called out, and Atem realised with a gripping fear who it belonged to. “Are you okay?”

Atem risked glancing up to see Mana entering the room, and everyone’s attention shifted onto her.

“No… It’s too dangerous Mana…” Atem tried to warn her, but he ended up having a coughing fit from his airways choking up. Something was happening, something deep inside him was struggling. He tried to swallow it back, whatever it was, but the feeling wouldn’t go away.

“She must be in on this with the demon! Arrest her! We’ll take her back to Malle for a trial and pin this on her.” Atem heard one of the elders say.

 _No! They can’t frame Mana like this! I… I won’t let them hurt her!_ Atem raised his head enough to see all of the people in the room.

Mana was slowly edging towards him, looking worriedly between him and the council. She could see the malicious glint in their eyes, like their plan had just laid itself out for them with minimal work. Atem knew she was smart enough to work out what they were going to do. He just hoped she didn’t try to play the hero and stick around.

And of course she ignored his silent pleas to instead run to his side.

“Atem, are you alright?” Mana went to place a hand on his shoulder, only to pull back instantly. “Ow! You’re burning hot!”

“I know,” Atem groaned, his legs beginning to feel heavier than they should be. It felt like he couldn’t support his own weight anymore, and he kept stumbling over his footing. “Mana, you need to… Nrg, you need to go… I can’t… I’m going to…”

The burning in his chest grew stronger, and it felt like something was trying to claw its way out of Atem’s torso. He felt sick, and his body was convulsing, as if it wanted to retch.

And then suddenly all at once Atem felt like he exploded. He screamed, doubling over in an attempt to hide away from the pain as tendrils of fire shot out from his body, a steady stream pouring out of his mouth as he roared. 

The fire was scorching hot, and he could barely see anything over its blinding light. All of his built up frustration and anger flowed into the fire, fuelling it stronger. He made out the sounds of screams, but they were dulled and distance over the roar of the blaze.

 _I… I can’t support this kind of heat anymore._ Atem clenched his hands together in an effort to ground himself. _Even with my dragon side’s natural resistance to heat, this is becoming unbearable._ _Where is it coming from?_

And then as suddenly as the flames appeared, they dispersed with one final series of hisses, sucking what air they could grab away with them as they disappeared.

Atem collapsed onto his knees, gulping in as much air as he could. The feeling of his throat burning was beginning to give him a numb sensation down his oesophagus, and his body temperature had sky rocked to degrees he had only seen written in books, never experienced. 

“Ma… Mana… I need…” Atem chocked, a sudden coughing fit seizing him. When it had passed, he raised his head, scanning the room to look for his friend.

On the other side he could see the group from the elders’ council dusting their robes off from where they were crouched on the ground. He guessed since they remained relatively unharmed, they had survived by casting a shield of some sort with their magic. _Great… So much for my ‘I’m not dangerous please don’t kill me’ approach,_ Atem thought sullenly.

He turned around to where he thought he had seen Mana just before. “Mana? Where…” Atem frowned, glancing around quickly as he tried to locate his friend. His eyes fell onto a shape unmoving on the ground, and his blood ran cold.

“No… I… You can’t be…” Atem rose to his feet to take one shaky step forward.

There on the ground, right where Mana had come running to his side was her charred body. Her apprentice robes had been burnt back a fair way, and her usually lovely tan skin had taken on a charcoal tone. Her hair was singed, and the gold bangles she always wore around her arms had melted onto the floor. Atem had no idea his fire had been hot enough to melt _gold_.

“I… Mana… No, please. You have to be alright… I can’t…” Atem fell to his knees in front of her, his trembling hands moving forward to shake her shoulders. “Mana please, get up. I’ll go get Mahaad, he can-“

“You see! It’s as I told you! The demon is far too powerful to be left alone! Just look, he’s murdered this young apprentice in cold blood!” One of the elders cried out, thrusting an accusing finger at Atem.

“No! I didn’t... I didn’t do this. I didn’t mean for this to happen…” Atem stood up, moving to cut off Mana’s body from the councils’ eyes.

“You lie! We just witnessed you use your evil dragon powers to try and kill us. And instead you bring this innocent into it! You’re a cold blooded murderer!”

“I…” Atem felt himself faltering, and he took a step back, tripping over Mana’s body in the process. He managed to regain his balance, but he didn’t miss the steps the elders took toward him.

“No! Stay back!” Atem threw his hands up, and the council flinched back, raising theirs defensively in return. “I’m… I…”

Just then everyone in the room heard a set of feet approaching, and before anyone had time to react Mahaad swung himself around a door.

“I heard a blast, are you-“He started to say before he noticed the state of the room. “What happened…Where’s…?” He looked between the council and where Atem stood before he seemed to take in the immobile form beside the wizard.

His eyes widened to saucers, and his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief and confusion. “It… It can’t be...”

Atem knew the name was on the tip of the magician’s tongue, and he didn’t think he could handle the defeated look on his friend’s face. So he did the only thing he could think to do; he ran away.

Turning around, Atem bolted to the end of the room, ignoring Mahaad’s cry for him to stop, instead leaping into the glass window. It shattered on contact, and he wasted no time tapping into his magical energy to teleport himself away. 

He didn’t care where he went, he just willed the magic to transport himself as far away from this disaster as he could, his last thought of a secluded building somewhere where he would be safe from the reality of the situation.

* * *

 

Atem had three days’ worth of starving himself before the council eventually found him.

He figured they had used some kind of tracking magic to trace his energies, but had taken a while to work it all out. No doubt they had been shocked to see Atem disappear into thin air, but Atem was sure they would have wrung the truth out of Mahaad about the extent of his powers. Probably. If Mahaad caved and told them that was.

 _Of course he would have,_ Atem thought sourly. _I just killed our- his best friend._ _He has every reason to rise against me and aid the council. And besides, it would save his head from joining mine on the chopping block. I don’t want to see anyone else die…_

He was standing in the top study room when the council arrived. The force of mages and magicians had increased to ten in what Atem assumed was a riot against him.

He watched them preparing the field around them for the ritual, and he watched them enter the building he had taken refuge in. It was somewhere to the west, near a city that had recently seen some development into something size worthy. He didn’t care for the name right now. He didn’t even try to halt the advances of the team coming up to kill him.

He waited until they were right outside his door until he finally moved.

He flicked his wrist, slamming the door open and startling the people that were behind it.

“Well? If you’re here to seal my name, you better hurry up with it. I hate waiting on people.” He spat, tapping the end of his staff on the ground impatiently.

All the magic users were all wearing hoods over their faces, so from his position at the other end of the room Atem couldn’t make out any distinguishable features aside from their heights, which didn’t help him much. Not that he actually cared or anything about who they were. _It doesn’t matter, none of this does anymore. I’ve become the monster they so desperately wanted me to be._

“Former Wizard Atem, you are hereby charged with—“

“Oh no one gives a damn about the details you old goat,” Atem hissed. “Just shut up and let’s begin this fight.”

“F-Fight? But—“

“What, you think I’m just going to roll over in defeat? Ha! You’re not sealing me away unless I take a few of you down with me first, and I’m tired of talking.” Atem raised his staff, and the mages scattered as he fired a concentrated burst of energy into the wall.

They immediately began to put up defensive shields, slowly moving around until they had Atem surrounded.

“Now!” One of them called out, and all of a sudden the mages raised their hands, and all of their barriers began to merge. Atem found himself in a sort of contained space amidst the bubbles, almost like he had casted one giant shield for himself, but instead it was a kind of reversed effect.

The mages began to chant in unison, and Atem knew he was moments away from having his soul severed. He felt his rage returning and boiling in his stomach. This time he wasn’t worried about the fire burning inside him, waiting for another chance to re-emerge. He let the anger come forward, letting it guide his actions as he snapped and screamed.

“You think you can treat me like this and get away with it!?!? It was your fault she died! You pushed me too far! I am far stronger than any of you could ever hope to be!” Atem roared, gripping his staff to the point where his knuckles turned white. “I am the Great Wizard Atem, and I will _destroy_ you all for what you have done!”

He pulled the staff back to the edge of the bubble before thrusting it forward, plunging down into the barrier. The elder’s magic protested at the assault, but even their combined might began to waver under the pressure of Atem’s power. He could feel the barrier beginning to dissolve, and the council were looking worried at the cracking sound.

“He’s breaking through!” One of them shouted over the whizzing of the magic.  

“Complete the ritual, quickly!” Another yelled, and Atem cursed. Even though the mages’ barrier was beginning to break, he could still feel the magic pulling at his essence, trying to unravel it. The pull of it was almost hypnotic, urging him to give in. But he wasn’t oblivious to the sharp spikes of pain it sent through his body as it assaulted his core spirit. He could feel the way it picked at his metaphorical seems, pulling to make a gap between his physical body and his soul.

“It’s working!”

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“Stop! If you do that, then the ritual will--!”

Suddenly everything seemed double. Atem’s vision began to blur and his hearing dropped as a constant ringing noise filled it up. He couldn’t make out anymore of the mages’ conversations. _No! I’m beginning to fade,_ Atem cursed again. He saw what looked to be some of the mages wavering in their barriers, and he thought he saw one cut off their spell completely, but he was seeing double, and the walls were wavering under his vision. He shut his eyes, blocking out all his senses from the mages’ actions, unable to take seeing everything repeated.

_I…_

_We’re…_

_Breaking… How…_

_I can’t…_

_Argh…!_

A piercing bright light shone through Atem’s closed eyelids, and he had to force back the urge to scream as pain wracked his body. Tendrils shot up his nerves before dissolving into a numb sensation. It felt like a hand was rummaging through his chest, pulling things out of their correct alignment and pushing organs into each other that should never touch. He felt his inner dragon’s fire waver over the force of the assault, and he hardly noticed when the pain from it was extinguished.

Then there was what felt like another hand join the first one, and together the stuck out at him, violently searching through Atem for something. It seemed like one found whatever it was looking for as it dove towards Atem’s heart, and Atem felt the searing pain of something slicing into him, and Atem couldn’t hold back any longer- he screamed at the overwhelming sensations.

And then as suddenly as it had arrived, the pain disappeared, leaving Atem gasping for air on the ground.

When he felt like he had enough energy to stand, he opened his eyes, looking around. Everything was charred black, like an explosion had gone off in the room. The elders and mages were nowhere to be seen, but then again there wasn’t much Atem could make out in the darkness. When had night fallen? He was pretty sure it had been midday when they had found him. _Just how long have I been out?_ Atem thought, frowning. His eyes were still adjusting to the change from the bright light to the pitch black darkness.

When he felt ready enough to move, he tried to stand up, only to fall forward with a cry of surprise. There was this… _Void_ he could feel inside of him. It was as if a piece of him was missing, and his soul was trying to sew itself back together. But the hole was too big, and instead it felt like his soul was stretching too far. He also weirdly couldn’t bring himself to feel any anger anymore. It was like it had just peeled off of him, and he was left in this stoic state of no emotion. He grunted at the pain and confusion, trying to block it out long enough to work around his bearings.

 _Where… Where am I? Am I still in the building?_ Atem peered into the darkness, trying to make anything out. He couldn’t see any of the elders, nor anyone else in the room. In fact- and much to Atem’s shock- there no longer _was_ another side to the room. Instead a gaping hole stretched out in front of him, as if it had ripped the entire wall out.

“What… How…?” He closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair to help try and calm himself, only to stop dead when he realised his whole hand passed through his hair fully without bumping his horns.

He immediately reached up to grab where his horns usually sat, but instead his hands gripped air.

“How…? My horns are _gone_ ,” Atem gasped, raking through every inch of his hair. He didn’t feel them anywhere. “They’re _gone_.” He tried to summon a mirror to check his reflection, but when he waved his hand nothing appeared.

“What the?” Atem frowned, trying the action again. He could almost feel his magical energies at his fingertips, but something was blocking the flow of it. It wasn’t reacting to his commands. With a sinking feeling Atem realised that he couldn’t use his powers.

His senses were all still heightened with the magic, and he could detect his own aura in the room, so he assumed he still had the powers, but somehow they were being blocked off from him.

“I don’t… I don’t understand. What happened?” Atem looked down at his hands, as if they would hold the answers he needed and saw that his nails were back to their normal short length. He realised in shock that the tone of his skin had lightened dramatically too, as if a blinding light had plastered itself to his body. _Something’s happen to change my body so much… But_ what _, exactly? And why are all my dragon features… Gone?_

A sudden noise pulled him away from his thoughts, and he crouched in a defensive position, ready to either fight or make a run for it.  

Close to where Atem had been when he woke up was another human shape moving around. He peered through the darkness, trying to make out the person’s identity.

“Augh… Where am I…?” They said in a rough voice, shaking their head.

Atem gasped as he saw two pointed tips amongst the mess of hair.

“W-What…” He staggered backwards, his eyes wide as the shape in front of him stumbled to its feet.

With a snap of its fingers, a light orb appeared above it, and Atem was greeted with a sight he didn’t know how to comprehend.

It was like he was standing in front of an almost exact copy of himself (well, what he had looked like just hours- days?- before he guessed). The two red horns sprouted from amongst the hair, and when the other looked up to lock eyes with him, Atem could see the slitted pupils wedged among a sea of red.

“Who… Who are you?” Atem took another step back. Was it a phantom? An illusion created somehow when he pierced the elders’ barrier? But then it had used magic to create the light, and it had horns while Atem didn’t… Was _he_ the illusion?

The other Atem reared back in surprise, taking in Atem’s appearance.

“You look like a ghost,” He spat, his face twisting up in disgust. “Just who the hell do you think you are, trying to imitate me?”

“Me? I’m Atem. Just who do you think you are?” Atem shot back, crossing his arms in annoyance. The other didn’t look like he was about to hurt Atem, but the wizard wasn’t sure. This was all so weird, like he was staring at a different version of himself, almost like…

“Oh gods,” Atem’s face paled further in realisation. The hole in his soul, the feeling of his magic resting just out of reach, the way one of them looked like the dragon half, and the other the human… “They split our soul.”

The other Atem opened his mouth to argue, but he clenched his jaw shut as he seemed to think it over. His eyes widened moments later, and his eyes snapped back to Atem’s.

“How did they… But they tried to seal my name and sever the link between it and my soul. How could that have caused this?” He asked, sounding just as confused as Atem felt.

“It must have been from our interference in their barrier. I can’t think of anything else that could have caused this…”

“Which means it probably shattered from the strain, leaving me without a weapon.” The other Atem grumbled.

“What are we going to do? How do we fix this and return to normal?”

“Fix it?” The other Atem echoed. “Oh no, I don’t think we need to fix it.”

“What? What do you mean? Of course we do, we can’t exist as two different halves of the same soul, it would be-“

“You don’t seem to understand what’s happening here. This could actually be the best thing that could have happened to us. The way I see it, I’ve retained all of my magic and my dragon blood, while you’ve gotten… Well… All of our _human_ traits.”

Atem didn’t like the tone of the other’s voice. It sounded too cold. “But my senses are still heightened more than they would be with pure human blood… What are you saying?”

“Need me to spell it out? I don’t think I need you. Not anymore. Not now that I don’t have my human half weighing me down with all of its weaknesses. I’m stronger than ever.”

“But surely you feel that void inside as well—“

“You forget already- you’re the weaker half. The way I see it, I’m the Great Wizard Atem, and I don’t have time for your weak and feeble words.”

“But you can’t--!” Atem tried to protest, but the other Atem clicked his fingers, and a shroud of darkness surrounded him. When it disappeared, he was gone.

Atem had a feeling deep in his shattered heart that that wasn’t going to be the last time he would see the other Atem. _What do I do know?_ _He has all the power, and I’m too… Normal. Too human to do anything. But he doesn’t understand, two halves of the same person cannot exist in this world as if they were two different people…_

He would have to change his name to not alert anyone to his identity. In his weakened state, anyone would be able to finish him off easily, and he didn’t trust this other Atem, this other half of him. And with his magic blocked, there was no way he would stand a chance of fighting back. He needed somewhere he could hide while he worked out what to do… He remembered not caring with where he teleported to three days ago… There was a city nearby… He would be able to hide there and figure out his bearings before he tried to fix his soul… _What was its name again? Oh yes… Rohesia._

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Thirteen: End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Atem's past! Hopefully if I did my stuff right it all made sense. Only two chapters left, ahhhhh. Exciting stuff. Anyone excited? Is it just me? Ahhaha, I'm pretty pumped to see the story as it comes to its end :'''D Now I just have to finish writing it, ahaha *FFX Tidus laugh*
> 
> Next Chapter- The Finale, the Climax, the Ending- everything that was ever going to go down is going to happen in this chapter. This is it guys.


	14. The Living Daylights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of effort went into this story, and I spent many hours wishing I could throw a shoe at the characters that were refusing to work with me ahaha xD I hope you enjoy it!~  
> Chapter Title is The Living Daylights by A-Ha, and slowly became not only the title but the main theme for this story.

_All right, hold on tight now_

_It’s down, down to the wire_

_Set your hopes up way too high_

_The living’s in the way we die_

_Comes the morning and the headlights fade in rain_

_Hundred thousand changes…Everything’s the same_

_I’ve been waiting long for one of us to say_

_Save the darkness, let it never fade away_

_In the Living Daylights_

 

“And that’s the story,” Atem shrugged as he ended his tale. “And the rest I think you know, or are at least smart enough to work out I’d hope.”

Yugi shifted in his seat, a frown marring his face as he thought about what Atem had told him. He felt like for the most part, the wizard had been telling the truth- albeit warping some of the details when it came to how he saw his friends. Yugi knew that deep down Atem felt guilty over the death of Mana, but refused to show it around Yugi. It seemed that Atem saw such emotions as a weakness, and to show them would make him an easy target, although to whom Yugi couldn’t work out. It wasn’t as if anyone knew of his existence, and he doubted that Atem saw him as a treat. If the wizard had felt threatened by Yugi, then he would have finished him off that first meeting in the room with the broken furniture.

_And it’s all so mysterious… Atem’s story only adds to my pile of questions, and most of them revolve around how he and Yami ended up like this…_

Yugi couldn’t suppress a snort of laughter over it all.

“What is it? What’s so funny?” Atem narrowed his eyes, clearly unamused by Yugi’s laughter.

“Just when I think I can work you out, you go and confuse me even more.” Yugi admitted, shaking his head.

“Then I suggest you give up- you’ll never truly understand me.”

“Maybe, but I don’t need to know everything to understand it all. I think I know enough now to help you.”

“ _Help_ me?” Atem blinked at him for a moment before barking out a laugh at Yugi’s words. “You can’t even help yourself, tamer! And what, pray tell, makes you think I _need_ help, let alone yours?”

“You’re not serious, right?” Yugi asked, his expression dumbfounded. Didn’t Atem realise he was only half a person? Of _course_ he needed help!

“I fail to see how I could be anything but serious, tamer.”

“Of course you need help, everyone does! Don’t you see, sitting here all alone and wallowing by yourself isn’t doing you any good! And it’s not just you, I see now that you were right before. Yami’s been running from this too. You’ve both been running, in a way.”

“Oh really?” Atem snorted. “The please, oh most knowledgeable tamer- enlighten me.”

“Well, I think your problem is that you’re trying too hard to shut off your emotions. At least the ones you can feel, I think. Something happened when your soul split, and some of your emotions were blocked off somehow. Actually, I think you only got some of them. Something tells me that half your emotions went with Yami, while the others went with you. It’s like your emotions literally got cut in half along with your soul.”

“That explains nothing.” Atem grumbled.

“Actually it explains a lot- like why you’re always so annoyed and angry, and why Yami was always so reserved and calm. You’re like polar opposites. Literal halves of the same soul.”

“Well I’d hate to disappoint you, but my other half and I are nothing alike.”

“I think you are, and you know that too. You’re just trying to convince yourself otherwise.”

“This is pointless,” Atem snarled, turning away. “I didn’t sate your curiosity just so that you could play the hero trying to make everything better.”

“Then why did you tell me? Why bother telling me your past if you didn’t want me to do something about it? Or if you weren’t ready to face it?”

“I don’t know, a spur of the moment decision! Forget I said anything then! I don’t care!” Atem said, stalking out of the room. But Yugi wasn’t about to let him slip out of this conversation just yet. Atem needed to hear this, and he needed to face his problems. He had been running for too long, and now that Yugi finally understood why, he wasn’t about to let him keep running. _If I help Atem, I help Yami too. And they both need my help, whether they want it or not. Somehow or another, I’ve been roped into this, and I’m going to help them._

“Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, you need my help. I get that you think you can take on everyone by yourself, but the fact of the matter Atem is that you can’t. You need help, you can’t do this alone. You just need to talk to Yami, tell him how you’re hurting over all this, and we can find a way to-“

“No,” Atem cut in, his expression growing sharp suddenly. “You will not bring Yami into this. He made his choice. He doesn’t want anything to do with his past, and if in the end it kills him, then so be it. He’ll die knowing he dug his own grave.”

“But he’s just scared- you both are. He’s not the only one running, Atem,” Yugi said gently. Atem had stopped storming out and was frozen in place, his face downcast in thought. Yugi took that as a sign to continue, but there was something that had been bothering him, and Atem’s words had triggered that nag back. “Atem, if one of you dies, what happens to the other?”

Atem glanced back at Yugi, frowning before looking away again. “They fade away. One cannot live without the other.”

“That’s what you said to Yami back in the forest.”

“Because it’s true. He knows it too. We may threaten each other, but there’s a reason I’ve never killed him before. To do so would be suicidal.”

“And you don’t want to die?”

“I-“ Atem rounded on Yugi to stare at him on confusion. “Was that a _question_?”

“Yes, it was,” Yugi countered. “You gave me the impression that you didn’t want to live anymore. You practically said it yourself too. So why say now that you want to live?”

“Because it doesn’t matter anymore. In this form, living is nothing but pain. Death would provide no solace either. I don’t even know if I could ever cross over to the afterlife with the wrong I’ve committed, let alone if they’d accept two halves of a broken soul.” Atem sighed, and it was the first real time Yugi had seen a piece of Yami in Atem. Here was the great wizard who had mastered the impossible and lived through an attempted to seal his name looking… _Sad._ It was enough to make Yugi want to hug him, but he also couldn’t forget why they were having this conversation in the first place, and the fact that he was sure Atem wouldn’t react well to a hug.

“But that’s just it- you’re not to blame for everything. A little, sure, but to blame you for everything that happened? Now that’s wrong.”

“But it _was_ my fault, you stupid tamer,” Atem growled. “I was the one who killed _everyone_.”

“Losing control of your emotions and freaking out about your mixed blood- those are things that you couldn’t help. I get the feeling your friends knew that too. How were you to know that you would inherit the ability to breathe fire? And so violently? You couldn’t, could you? Arundel once told me that the part of half-dragons that makes up their dragon side could manifest in different ways. Some half breeds were said to born with wings and tails, while others just got horns-“

“The lucky ones, it would seem.”

“- and not much else. The point is, you didn’t know how your dragon side would appear, so no one can really blame you for that. And besides, you were been threatened. Any other person would have defended themselves just as you did- by retaliating.”

“By exploding into a ball of pure fire energy and charring everything within a certain radius, you mean?” Atem snapped.

“Well yes, and no. Look, back when I was a kid, I have a rough childhood-“

“You don’t say.”

“Would you stop interrupting me please? I’m trying to help, and I thought since you told me about your past, I should give you a piece of mine.”

Atem groaned, but didn’t say anything else, watching Yugi with a raised eyebrow instead and a quick flick of his hand. Yugi took it as an invitation to continue.

“When I was younger, I got picked on a lot. As a kid, no one would talk to me. All the adults thought I would corrupt their kids if I so much as breathed on them. My teenage years weren’t much better- I got physically abused a lot more. I realised that if I wanted to survive, then I would have to learn to fight back. But I was naïve, and I wanted to believe I could see good in everyone. I ended up getting blamed for a lot of incidents in the area, and I spent some time in jail from it-“

“Wait, _you_? In _jail_? Now _that_ I must call you out on. There’s no way your goodie two shoes ass was ever in jail.”

“You know what? Believe what you want Atem, but I don’t have to prove to you what happened in my past. You think it doesn’t hurt bringing it up? You think I don’t have to relive my poor life choices and most depressing moments again over and over? I want to bury my past too Atem- I would give anything to go back and change it, fix all my mistakes and all the times I let people push me around because I refused to believe no one was above help. But the cold, hard truth is that I can’t, okay? You would think you knew this best! But I think I agree with Yami more. Deep down, we’re both trying to avoid our pasts. But the difference between Yami and I is that I’ve moved on. I’ve come to terms with what happened, and I’ve sworn to move past it and make my life better. Yes, I do still try to find good in a person, no matter how much they refuse to see it themselves. I’m doing it right now, aren’t I? Can you say the same, Atem?”

“I-“ Atem stumbled back, putting his hands up in between him and Yugi. His expression was confused, and his pupils danced back and forth between Yugi’s eyes as he searched them. Yugi wouldn’t back down from his resolve though. He took a step forward, and Atem took one back.

“Well? _Can_ you, Atem?” Yugi pressed, waiting for the wizard to give him the answer he already knew was coming.

“I… I can’t.” Atem said through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. But then again, what would I know? I’m just a disgusting half-elf.” Yugi spat, turning around and stalking to the other side of the room to stare out of the dusted window that he couldn’t actually see anything out of. But he had made his point, now he just hoped Atem would give his words some thought. _I’ve done as much as I can to help him make a decision. Now he just has to make that realisation himself._

By the time Yugi finally turned around, Atem was gone.

* * *

 

“And the rest you know.” Yami concluded, staring down at the table. The remnants of their latest snacks were thrown across plates, with bits of sugar stuck to forks and spoons alike. Yami could barely stand the sight of the sweet substance- it was a reminder about how opposite his life felt like right now. _It’s like the cake stole everything sweet and nice from my life,_ Yami thought bitterly. _And that cake was baked by the elder’s council and Atem._ Because if anything, it was mostly his fault for this. But then again, he no longer used that name. _How cynical I have become,_ Yami thought, a sad smile tugging at his lips.

A sudden shake to his shoulder brought him back to the present, as Ryou and Marik’s worried faces stared at him.

“Sorry?” Yami asked, blinking.

“I asked if you were alright. That was quite the story to be retelling.” Ryou said with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah, yes I’m fine,” Yami gently pushed the mage’s hand off of his shoulder before clearing his throat. “Well Ryou, now that you know everything, what will you do?”

“Nothing different as of yet. The plan is still to find Yugi. Which might I say, isn’t going so well. Did retelling your past give you any new thoughts on where your other self could be hiding?”

“No… Wait… Hiding… Actually…” Yami cursed out loud at his ignorance. _Of course, the one place that’s in plain sight to me but not to everyone else._ “The college! He’s got to be at the college!”

“The college? You really think so? I guess it makes sense, no one’s been there since the fire…” Marik pipped up, nodding furiously the more he seemed to think about it. “No one would ever think to return there! It would be the perfect hiding place for someone who wanted to avoid everyone.”

“Damn it, how could I have not ever realised that? I was practically him for my entire life!” Yami groaned, slapping his forehead.  

“Well, regardless, you’re sure Yugi’s there?” Ryou asked.

“I’m sure my other half is there. I can’t say about Yugi, but if he still has him with him, than Yugi will be there.”

“That’s good enough for me. We can’t waste any time with this- let’s leave first thing tomorrow. I don’t want to leave Yugi waiting any longer.”

“So I guess you’re heading out now, huh?” Marik said.

“Did you plan to come with us?” Yami asked.

“Nah, I don’t think I should. There’s not much a treasure hunter can do to help in this situation. I’m afraid I’d end up just getting in your way more likely. But promise you’ll come back and visit when you’re all good again, right Atem?”

“I-“ _I’m not sure I will be ‘all good’ again ever,_ Yami thought. He didn’t want to get Marik’s hopes down though, so instead he faked a smile. “I will be sure to do that, Marik.”

“And this time don’t forget my name, will you?” Marik said jokingly with a wink. “I better leave you two to your planning then. I’ve got maps of the north if you needed some?”

“Yeah, that would actually be great, thanks Marik. Yugi was always the one with the maps.” Ryou said.

“Awesome! Be right back!” Marik said, scrambling off in search of his maps, leaving Yami and Ryou alone.

“I wonder how Arundel is doing,” Yami thought out loud, wanting to break the awkward silence that had descended on them. “Will he be returning here or will we be meeting him out of the city?”

“He’s probably fine- I think Marik spooked him a little. From what I’ve seen of you and Yugi’s conversations, he’s usually pretty quiet. Yugi may have been the first human he ever talked to for all I know. Imagine being in a city crowded with them.”

“He was only trying to help. He knew he wouldn’t be able to assist us from outside of the city, and he probably left because he felt his human form had more limitations than he would have liked. But then again, that’s just my theory.” He wasn’t lying, but Yami also knew that there was more to it than that. Arundel had been keeping an eye on him, making sure that Yami didn’t feel overwhelmed by everything. He knew that Ryou had given him a hard time- something Yami really didn’t blame the mage for, but still. The fact that Arundel had left himself vulnerable and overexposed to everything in his human form in order to provide support really meant a lot to Yami. Even though the dragon knew hardly anything about him (except for what he assumed Yugi had told him), he had still risked his neck for Yami’s sake.

_Maybe he could tell I had dragon’s blood all this time, and was just looking out for his kin. Or maybe my other half told him, or maybe he didn’t know… Regardless, I owe Arundel my life for what he’s done for me since Yugi disappeared. And I will make that right._

“Ah! Got ‘em!” Marik poked his head around a corner, gripping pieces of parchment above his head triumphantly.

“Good, let’s start plotting our best course of action.” Ryou said as Marik strode over.

“The castle is located here, amongst these mountains in the northern range,” Yami pointed to a spot on the top of the map. I suggest we…”

* * *

 

The next morning Ryou and Yami said a quick goodbye to Marik, promising to visit again later when they had found Yugi. Arundel had already left to scout ahead a day ago, and when Yami asked him why he hadn’t returned to Marik’s place, he admitted that he couldn’t maintain his human form for extended periods of time, due to lack of training.

It was a while down the road- when Harrowlarn was well untruly out of sight- that they met back up with the dragon. After they reassured him that the city hadn’t eaten them up and Yami was indeed alive and well, they headed off.

 _I have been giving some thought as to how best to approach this,_ Arundel’s voice rumbled in Yami’s mind. _And I believe that you should both ride on my back. Flying is a much more direct route, and we are on a time limit here._

“Are you sure that’s alright? Seems kind of dangerous.” Yami replied. Ryou’s head turned in their direction at Yami’s words, but he waited for Yami to fill him in.

_Yugi and the mage have ridden on my back before. As long as I don’t have to hover for long periods of time with both your weight on my back, we should be fine._

“If you’re sure, I guess you would know best,” Yami shrugged. He then realised Ryou was waiting rather impatiently for Yami to repeat Arundel’s words. “He says we should fly to the college.”

Ryou’s face immediately paled by three hues. “ _Fly_? No thanks, I’m fine with walking.”

“But flying would be faster, and we’re pressed for time. Each second we waste is time would could have spent getting closer to Yugi- faster.”

 _Perhaps we shouldn’t have told him,_ Arundel huffed. _He’s clearly too afraid of flying. I’ll just scoop him up with my claws and we can worry about his anger later._

“Come on Ryou- Yugi needs us.” Yami pushed, ignoring Arundel’s comments in the back of his mind.

Ryou looked between the dragon and innkeeper, squinting his eyes in suspicion. “You’re both in on this, I swear. This is revenge for something,” He glared at them some more before throwing his hands up in defeat. “Fine, fine. But if I want to scream I’m going to scream- to hell with sneaking up on the place.”

“Alright, fair enough, I suppose,” Yami moved a hand over his face to try and hide his smirk. “Shall we leave now?”

“Fine.” Ryou grumbled, eyeing Arundel warily as the dragon crouched down to let them on.

Yami scrambled up the dragon’s body, using his wing blade as support to launch himself up. He fit comfortably between two of the spikes that ran in sets down the dragon’s back, although the rough scales rubbed against his clothes worryingly. He supposed if he wanted to keep his pants in working condition they wouldn’t be able to ride bare back for long. _No matter, by flying distance we shouldn’t be too far from the college._

Holding out a hand for Ryou, he pulled the reluctant mage onto the dragon’s back behind him.

“Ready?” Yami asked.

Ryou shot him a look that said he was anything but as he slung his arms around Yami’s waist. “Let’s just get this over and done with.”

“Alright Arundel, we’re ready.”

The dragon nodded, rising to his feet and shaking his wings out. Yami had just enough time to hear Ryou suck his breath in before the wings came down and suddenly they were gaining altitude as Arundel consistently beat the giant appendages against the air.

“Woah woah woah, shit.” Ryou muttered behind Yami, and he felt the mage’s hands against his chest grip his tunic tighter. _We’re barely off the ground and already he’s freaking out,_ Yami thought, amused.

And then suddenly they had cleared the tree line and Yami’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight. He was astonished, to say the least. The view was incredible from this high up, and the endless abyss of greenery below him was like a sea of grass.

_Wow… The trees look so small from up here… This must be how powerful a dragon feels, flying this high up… Saying goodbye to all their problems down below…_

Yami was awestruck by the way hundreds of trees seemed to race by. The way Arundel’s body would shift up and down in a steady movement as he beat his wings. The harsh sound of wind whipping past his face filled Yami with a kind of excitement, and he wondered what it would feel like to be flying by himself. If he was the one soaring through the sky with powerful wings. _If only I had been born with wings instead… I could have flown away from all the trouble in my life and just… Soared._

Yami was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn’t see Arundel beginning to struggle with something as his movements became unsteady.

The dragon jerked back suddenly, roaring in what seemed to be frustration. Yami tried in vain to dig his nails into Arundel’s scales for grip, but the smooth surface yielded no extra security. They were pulled forward and crushed against his back before being tossed backward. Yami hit Ryou’s back, and the mage reached out desperately to the part of Arundel’s wing that joined to his back, using the joint to try and steady the both of them.

“Arundel! What’s wrong?” Yami shouted against the wind.

_It’s… The darkness. Shadow magic. It’s too strong, I can’t go on. It’s preventing me from flying any closer. It’s like an extra weight on my wings, I can’t… I’m going to have to land, hold on!_

With no more warning, Arundel tucked his wings close to his body and dived.

Yami pulled himself flush with the dragon’s body, yanking a hand around to pull Ryou against him. The mage wasted no time gripping Yami’s tunic for dear life, and the wind could only fend off some of his screams. At that moment Yami was glad he was more human than dragon, as he was sure he would be deaf already if he had to deal with the mage’s vocal range with heightened hearing.

“What is happening? Why are we going down!?!?” Ryou tried to yell, but his voice was lost as the wind cut past them in a whirl.

Arundel snapped his wings back just before they hit the ground, stumbling forward awkwardly before his legs gave out and he crashed down. Yami was watching for the right moment, and just before Arundel bounced back up from hitting the ground, he leaped off his back, pulling Ryou along with him.

The mage had no idea what was going on though, and Yami wasn’t strong enough to support his weight, so Ryou pulled Yami down, and the two topped over, landing painfully in the dirt.

When Yami had enough of his bearings to stand up, he directed his attention to Arundel, racing over to the dragon’s side.

“Are you alright?” Yami asked worriedly, checking over the dragon. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for- any scratches or bruises, probably, but he couldn’t see any. Arundel rolled over onto his feet, shaking the dirt off his back.

 _I’m fine, just a little disorientated._ Arundel responded, his long neck swerving around to inspect his wings. _I’ve had rougher landings before, I’ll be fine._

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Yami nodded, stretching his limbs and rubbing his neck. There was a little bit of pain when he stretched his legs too far, but other than that he seemed to have escaped with minimal damage. _Somehow,_ He thought bitterly. For something he’d never had experience doing before, he seemed to have handled that better than he expected.

“What the bloody hell was all that about?” Ryou groaned, walking over to where Yami and Arundel were standing. “I’m going to be feeling that pain in my back for weeks, not to mention a lifetime fear of flying definitely after _that_.”

“If you think that’s weird, you should definitely never try teleporting.” Yami laughed weakly.  

“Considering until about four days ago I hadn’t thought it to be possible, I can’t say I’m in a hurry to try it,” Ryou admitted, turning his nose up over it. “So what happened now? What’s wrong with Arundel?”

“He’s fine, but he says he can’t go on flying any longer. Something about shadow magic being too thick.”

Ryou immediately straightened over that, his eyes wide as he started at Yami.

“Shadow magic? Don’t tell me your other half knows we’re here already?”

“I don’t think so,” Yami mused. “Something tells me that this magic is subconsciously created. I don’t think he even knows it’s stretching this far…”

“What does that mean for us? Can we keep going?”

“I think we should be fine on foot.”

“Good, let’s get going then. How much further to the college?”

“I think…” Yami looked around, trying to get his bearings. Most of the mountains looked the same, but he could tell from the distance between each peak where his castle was roughly located. “This way, about a two hour walk, I think.” He pointed in between two long mountains in the distance.

“Two hours? Augh, I hate all this travelling. I really need a vacation after this... Well we better get started then.”

 _I’m afraid I cannot go any further with you,_ Arundel said sadly. _This shadow magic is too potent to my kind, and I fear I made be driven into a berserk state should I remain in it too long. If that was to happen, I would cause more harm than good._

“What will you do now then? Will you be alright by yourself?” Yami asked.

Arundel scoffed, shaking his massive head. _You’re worried about me? Please, I will be fine. I would worry more about what you must soon face. You have quite the challenge ahead of you, but I have confidence in you. I’m sure whatever happens, you will emerge triumphant._

“I… I don’t know what to say. No one’s had that much faith in me for years…” Yami said. He could feel himself chocking up over the dragon’s words.

 _Yugi did. He still does, I know it._ Arundel’s eyes shone as he nodded at Yami.

Yami could only offer a weak smile as Ryou called out rather impatiently for them to continue.

“Take care, Arundel.” Yami said as he waved goodbye.

 _I am sure we will meet again_. Arundel replied before turning away and trudging through the trees.

“Let’s go, we’re wasting time,” Ryou said, and then as an afterthought. “Arundel will be fine, he’s one tough dragon, trust me.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Yami nodded.

They set off towards the mountains, Ryou keeping a steady pace, although Yami could tell that he was walking fast that usual. He supposed that even though the mage didn’t show it, he was very worried about Yugi too. They _had_ been friends for a long time, Yami reasoned. _And Ryou had been very upset when Yugi had disappeared. I’m sure he cares a lot about his friend, but doesn’t know how to show it around a stranger like me._

“Yami.” Ryou said, his face suddenly serious. _Now I’m in for it,_ Yami thought.

“That tone sounds very comforting.”

“Why was Atem so spooked when I pulled out your staff?”

Yami sighed, shaking his head in a defeated way. “I should have known you would bring that back up.”

“Well I figured it was a rather important question to ask. You know that we might need to… You know.”

“I do, I do. But, I suppose there’s something you should know first… Actually, two things. You see, if one of our halves of the soul perishes, then the other will die too. One can’t live without the other, after all. It’s be like having half a soul left, and that’s no way to live.”

“Right okay, so if Atem dies you die too. Just peachy, so we can’t kill the guy. Dare I ask about the other thing?”

“The staff is the only thing that can truly sever the link between our soul halves and whatever is keeping us still alive and functional as halves of a person. Well at least that’s the conclusion I’ve reached.”

“Great, that doesn’t really help us though. What we need is a way to get you both back together.”

Yami froze at Ryou’s words. “What? What did you just say?”

“Put you back together? There has to be a way somehow. If there’s a way to destroy you, then there’s a way to fix the damage done. I’d stake my career as a white mage on it.”

“Then I’m afraid you’d probably be out of a job,” Yami sighed. “I tried looking for a way to reverse the effects back when they first happened. There was nothing I could find that would help.”

“Maybe you just weren’t looking in the right places?”

“The Rohesian library.”

“I severely doubt you’d find anything useful there,” Ryou scoffed. “Did you try anywhere else?”

“No, not really. I hadn’t actually left Rohesia since the incident until just before, with you.”

“So you spend over five years in Rohesia? That would have been so boring.”

“Well I wasn’t really in the mood to travel, nor did I want to risk being discovered by anyone. If I was the one with our powers, then I probably would have teleported to the college as well. As it was, I could barely walk to Rohesia. You should know- you travelled to the site of our split.”

“Yes, it was pretty far out. You wouldn’t ever know it was there unless you were searching for it, really.”

“Precisely.”

Ryou bobbed his head in a nod, mulling the conversation over.

Neither of them talked again until the castle that marked Yami’s college appeared.

“There it is.” Yami motioned to the building. It looked like it was placed on the side of the mountain, with most of the structure hugging the rock and the rest cutting into it. The brick work was dark enough that it melded into the rocks. On quick glance from a distance, one would have to look twice to tell if the castle was real or not, or simply a strange rock extension.

“So how do we go about this?” Ryou spoke up, looking the castle over. “It doesn’t look like there’s any real entrance- how did people get in before it… You know…”

“There’s a path leading up to the front gates, but I don’t think we should take the immediate route.”

“What would you suggest then?”

“I want to get Yugi and get out. The sooner we leave, the better- a bonus if we don’t run into my other half at all. We also should refrain from mentioning his name, so he doesn’t get any ideas about us being here.”

“If it comes down to a showdown, and there’s no other way for us to save Yugi, I need to know that you will help me fight him.”

“But…” Yami paused, frowning. He knew that if Atem saw them, then the wizard would not hesitate to launch an attack. But surely he knew that he couldn’t kill Yami without risking his own existence? Yami had no doubts that his other half would try to kill Ryou, but he wasn’t so sure about himself. How would Atem react to seeing Yami wielding their staff?

“Alright, I’ll help. Just, try not to kill him, please? Remember when he gets wounded, I feel the pain too.”

“Then you’ll just have to suck it up I guess. Besides, if you’ve got the staff then I won’t be able to really deal any lasting damage. At most, I can stun him with my white magic. Our safety comes first, and Yugi’s comes before that. We’re doing this for him.”

“Of course, I know that.” Yami sighed. He could see that his reasoning was lost on the mage. He just hoped that they would get in and find Yugi without Atem noticing. Although if he still had Yugi in his grasp in the castle, then Yami’s other half was sure to realise he was missing. _This is turning into a savage rescue mission,_ Yami thought bitterly.  

* * *

 

When they entered the castle, Yami took over the lead. Although it looked to be in disarray, Yami found that he could still work his way around the place. What disturbed him the most was all the scorch marks covering most of the walls. It seemed that the explosion he had caused had torn through the whole castle- none of the remaining structure had survived unscathed. Just how powerful was that energy I unleashed? I had no idea I had caused so much damage… Yami thought as he looked around. He risked a glance back at Ryou to see his face grim, his eyes darting around the place like he expected Atem to come out of anywhere.

Yami let the images of the destroyed castle fall out of his mind, instead focusing on picking up Yugi’s aura. The air was thick with his-or he supposed his other half’s- shadow magic. He could sense it everywhere, and he couldn’t blame Arundel for not wanting to stick around with all of this dense energy. There were trails of the substance leading in and out of all the doors they passed- some were faded to almost nothing while others resonated stronger, telling Yami which rooms his other half had been in recently.

As he grew accustomed to the aura of his other half, he began to pick up a second kind- one that was distinctly split into two like a half breed. But whereas Atem’s aura was covered in bold colours, this second one was more subtle and lighter. It had cooler colours, with teals and purples mixing around. It seemed like the kind of aura that Yugi would have- it suited him.

Yami signalled for Ryou to come closer so he wouldn’t risk his voice travelling too far.

“Yugi’s still here, I can sense his aura.” Yami said quietly.

“Excellent, I was so worried. Can you tell which room he’s in?” Ryou breathed a sigh of relief, clutching a hand to his robes.

“Yes, just follow me.”

They set off again, and a minute down the hallway Ryou spoke up again in a hushed voice.

“So is this sensing aura ability a dragon only thing?”

“Not really, it’s heightened by my dragon’s blood, but anyone can learn to trace auras. It comes with practice.”

Suddenly Yugi’s aura peaked in intensity right before a door, and Yami raised a hand for Ryou to stop.

“I think… He’s in here.” Yami said, his voice barely above a whisper. He stared at the wooden surface of the door. His hands felt clammy all of a sudden, and he wasn’t sure if he could grip the handle to open the door. _What if he doesn’t want to see me?_ Yami thought worriedly. Suddenly all of his fears started to resurface, and he was having second thoughts. His hand started to shake against the door handle.

Ryou seemed to grow too impatient then, for he shouldered past Yami and yanked the door open.

 _Shit, I guess it’s now or never._ Yami followed him inside, albeit at a much slower pace, choosing to peer over the door before stepping fully inside the room.

The first thing he noticed past Ryou’s snowy hair was the big glass window on the far side of the room, and he immediately knew which room they were in. _It’s my… Old study chambers…_

He walked forward more, looking around at the broken furniture scattered around the door and the burnt carpet pieces on the floor. _I wonder if my…_

He looked up, stopping frozen, and sure enough, right near the glass window sat his desk, broken clean in two. But that wasn’t want made him freeze- it was what was sitting on the desk that made him stop in his tracks.

“…Yugi?”

* * *

 

Yugi had been sitting in the study. In fact, he hadn’t left since Atem had told him his story and disappeared afterwards. Yugi had stayed behind, pacing the room before eventually settling down on the desk and just thinking everything over, digesting what he had been told.

He knew there was a way to somehow reunite Yami and Atem’s soul halves together, but he couldn’t think of anything out front that would come close to healing a broken soul. He still didn’t fully understand how the soul had been split in half in the first place. Atem seemed to not care about the finer details, and Yugi was pretty sure Yami was still living in denial over it all, and that only left him with too many unanswered questions.

_There had to be something that went wrong in the mages’ ritual. Something out of place or an interruption of some sort. And whatever that was, it messed with the original goal of sealing Atem’s name away, and thus sealing his power. Instead of losing his name, Atem lost part of himself, in a way._

Yami had little to no magical powers from what Yugi could tell from their interactions (although he wasn’t dismissing the night the innkeeper had taken down shadow creatures in the forest), so he assumed that somehow Yami was more human than dragon, while Atem was the opposite. It was almost like the split had been trying to force apart his dragon and human halves, but had failed to completely separate them resulting in the kind of ‘diagonal cut’ across the soul, as Yugi had put it.

“But Atem hasn’t really done anything wrong. He’s just alone and scared over the powers he has that he can’t control,” Yugi groaned out loud, scratching his head. “This is all so confusing.”

Suddenly the door handle began to jiggle, and Yugi turned around, confused. If Atem wanted to see him, he would just teleport into the room no doubt. _So if it’s not Atem… Then who….?_

Yugi’s thoughts were answered as the door swung open, and standing behind it was an all too familiar face. _It’s Ryou!_ Yugi’s heart leapt into his chest, and he was just about to push off his perch on the desk when a second figure entered the room.

“…Yugi?”

“Yami! Ryou! You’re both okay! I was so worried.” Yugi jumped down from the desk, launching himself at Ryou and tackling the white mage into a hug.

“Oh Yugi, we were so worried about you too.” Ryou said, laughing as he hugged the tamer.

“You _were_ the one who was in the most danger.” Yami pointed out, shifting his feet awkwardly. It looked like he was nervous about something.

Yugi raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Me? But I left you two alone in the same room! I’m surprised you guys worked together for so long just to find me,” He pulled out of Ryou’s embrace and grabbed Yami, not waiting to see if the other wanted a hug- Yugi knew he needed one after everything he’d been through. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what? If anyone should be sorry, it’s me, I-“

“For everything that happened to you. Atem… Told me about what happened here, in the past.”

Yami looked confused for a moment, blinking owlishly at Yugi. “My other half told you? Truly?”

“Yeah. He’s not as bad as you would think, you know,” Yugi nodded, a smile creeping up his face. “He’s just confused and angry about this all. He hasn’t hurt me, I’ve been fine the whole time. A little bored sometimes, but fine, really. But knowing what you two went through… That wasn’t fair. None of it was, you were just trying to live your life and the council was so racist…”

Yami smiled, touching Yugi’s shoulder lightly. It was a genuine expression, not like the mask he had worn back in Rohesia. “It’s fine, Yugi, it’s all in the past now. We- I- have to move… past it. The past… My past shouldn’t dictate my future. I see that now.”

“Yami…” Yugi wanted to say more, but strangely enough, he felt words weren’t needed. He could tell from Yami’s expression that the innkeeper understood what he meant to convey. _I’m going to make this right. We’re going to help restore your soul. I’m not going to let you nor Atem live in this pain anymore._

“We should… go, before my other half finds us here.” Yami spoke up, side glancing Ryou, who just nodded his agreement at the two, pointing towards the door with a jerk of his head.

Yugi nodded, frowning. “But if I leave, he’s bound to notice I’m missing.”

“That’s why we have to get out of here before he notices. Let’s go.” Yami said, motioning for Yugi to follow him out the door. Ryou fell into place behind Yugi, and they set off as fast as they dared down the corridors.

They mostly looked the same to Yugi, but he supposed that Yami knew where he was going. He wanted to ask how the innkeeper kept his orientation about him, but he didn’t want to break the silence and risk alerting Atem to their position. _Maybe he just remembers the layout of the castle, since he used to live here for what I assume was years,_ Yugi thought. It made sense, and until they were safe to talk, it was the reasoning Yugi would adopt.

“Wait,” Yami stopped them with a flick of his wrist. “This is it- the main entrance hall. The exit is the door just over there.” He whispered.

Yugi peered around the innkeeper, looking at the wall Yami was motioning too.

It was a set of grand double doors, opening inwards only, by the look of the design. Yugi couldn’t remember ever setting foot in this room before, so he figured he had never managed to find the entrance before. _Or maybe it was sealed off by Atem’s magic before,_ Yugi thought. They moved away from the shadowed wall to approach the doors when the one voice they had tried to avoid spoke up.

“So you planned to come here without even saying hello, other me?” Atem boomed from behind them. The three spun around to see the wizard standing on the far side of the room.

His arms were crossed and he had a scowl plastered on his face. The light feeding through the massive glass window behind him cast a long shadow in front of the wizard. It was almost as if the wizard had been waiting for them to pass through this room. _Go figure, he picks the best place for a dramatic appearance,_ Yugi rolled his eyes.

“It’s time we decided this once and for all, other me.” Atem hissed, glaring down at Yami. “Human side against dragon side. Let’s see who is more worthy to carry the title of wizard.”

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Yami narrowed his eyes, his hand gripping something, and Yugi realised for the first time that Yami was wielding the staff.

 _No… He’s not going to,_ Yugi’s eyes widened as he took in the other’s stance. Even Ryou to the other side of the innkeeper had his mage’s staff out, his expression grim. _Did they both agree to come here and fight Atem, even if we had had the chance to leave without encountering him?_ Yugi thought worriedly.

“No Yami wait!” Yugi called out, but Yami had already raised his hand and fired a shot from the staff, the air sizzling from the concentration of magic.

Atem easily teleported a few steps out of the way, glancing behind himself as the energy beam smashed into the massive glass panel, shattering it instantly.

The glass shards rained down onto the ground around Atem, and the wizard brought his cape up to shield himself from the debris. The slivers bounced and slide harmlessly off the material of the cape, which made Yugi wonder if Atem had enchanted it somehow, since there was no way at least one shard wouldn’t make a tear in the fabric.

“Oh, is that how you want to play?” The wizard sneered, throwing his cape back over his shoulders. “Well then other me, I’m afraid I can play dirty too.”

He raised his hand into the air, smirking as he snapped his fingers.

A loud roar echoed across the room before a black shadow barrelled through the empty window. It landed just in front of Atem, blocking the wizard from Yugi’s view. He focused on the shape, sharping inhaling as he noticed the features more prominently. Most importantly, the two shining red eyes staring at them angrily. The scene was all too familiar to Yugi.

“Arundel!? Oh no…” Yugi cursed, glancing over at Ryou with wide eyes. His expression was mirrored in the white mage’s face, with a hint of confusion flashing there.

“What’s going on? How did Atem…?” Ryou squinted his eyes, as if it would help him uncover his answers. “Why does Arundel look corrupted like he was back when we met him Yugi?”

“It’s Atem’s shadow magic, he doesn’t have any control over it, it’s corrupting everything around him,” Yugi quickly explained. At least that was what he thought, judging by what he had seen and learned of the wizard’s power. “Atem’s losing control, we need to cut him off from those dangerous powers somehow- wait where’s Yami?!?”

Yugi looked around frantically, searching for the innkeeper. He saw him on the other side of the hall, trading blows with Atem.

“Yami needs help!” Yugi shouted, motioning towards where the two were fighting.

“I think we’ve got our hands full here Yugi- Yami will have to deal with Atem himself for now. Dragon fire five o’clock!” Ryou yelled, diving in the opposite direction.

Yugi had just enough time to jump out of the way as a stream of fire shot past where they had just been standing. Small pieces of the burnt carpet broke off and shot up into the air, landing in Yugi’s fringe. He swatted them out of his bangs, screwing his face up over the smell of singed hair. _No time to worry about your face Yugi, you’ve got bigger problems, like how you’re going to get Arundel back to his normal self without him setting you on fire._

 _Arundel! Arundel, can you hear me? It’s Yugi! You have to fight the darkness!_ He tried to open the tamer link he had with the dragon, searching for their connection. He could feel it there, pulsing softly along the edge of Yugi’s mind, but it was covered over, almost like something was blocking his thoughts from reaching the dragon. _If my mind won’t work, I’ll just try yelling then._

“Arundel! Snap out of it!” Yugi yelled, side stepping the fire caught on the carpet. It was beginning to flare up, and Yugi was worried it was going to catch on something else, even though the hall was empty of furniture (and for that Yugi was grateful). He didn’t want to have to deal with a fire on top of everything else.

Yugi risked a glance over at Yami and Atem’s fight. He could tell Yami was struggling from the way he was swinging his staff. His movements were getting sluggish, and Atem was too quick, dodging all of the innkeeper’s attacks. _Yami can’t fight Atem on his own… He needs my help!_

“Ryou! I have to help Yami! Can you manage here by yourself?”

Ryou shot him possibly the most sarcastic look Yugi had ever seen on his face before. If they weren’t in the middle of a heated fight, Yugi would have felt the need to congratulate him on the feat.

“Oh yeah, I can _definitely_ handle an angry, raging, possessed dragon by _myself_. No _biggie_ , Yugi.”

“But Yami—“

“Don’t worry, Yugi- I’ll find a way to manage. Go save that blasted innkeeper, and Yugi- don’t you dare go and die on me.” Ryou warned, glancing at Yugi once before taking off, waving his staff at Arundel to attract the dragon’s attention.

He roared, swinging his head towards the mage as a stream of fire burst from his jaws.

“Thanks Ryou- I owe you!” Yugi saluted his friend before swerving and taking off towards the others. He stopped just before Yami and Atem, keeping his distance slightly to avoid the staff Yami was swinging around. _This can’t go on for much longer…_ Yugi bit his lip. He had to do something to break them apart.

“I thought you were better than this Atem! I thought you wanted to do the right thing!” Yugi yelled, breaking both Yami and Atem’s concentration. They both snapped their attention over to Yugi, Yami’s eyes immediately widening in surprise while Atem’s narrowed in frustration.

“Stay out of this tamer, this is between me and my other half. I don’t need your moral speeches getting in my way.” Atem hissed.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way, can’t you see? You don’t have to fight, you’re only making things worse for no reason!”

“What do you care! You don’t know me!” Atem growled, making a swipe at his other half.

Yami managed to pull back to avoid the claws, using the staff to stop himself from tumbling backwards.

“Yugi, Atem’s right- you need to stay out of this. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Yami said, his eyes full of worry.

“That tameless curiosity of yours will be your death.” Atem said, his fingers twitching.

“Not this time,” Yugi frowned. He found that he wasn’t afraid of Atem anymore, regardless of how tough the other tried to be. Even now as he was fighting with Yami, the wizard had yet to land a proper blow on the other. He was holding back- whether subconsciously or not, Yugi couldn’t tell. “Can’t we just talk about this?”

“Ha! You’re about five years too early for a therapy session tamer.” Atem barked, taking a step back. He seemed like he wanted to say more, but he was out of breath suddenly, his breathing increased in volume as he groaned.

 _What in the…?_ Yugi thought as he watched the wizard suddenly struggling a lot, like he was having some internal battle.

Yugi caught the motion of Atem pulling his arms forward, and he turned his head just in time to lock eyes with the wizard.

But his posture was cut off, almost defensive, like he was…

 _He’s going to blast out fire again…!_ Yugi realised. It was just like Atem had described in his past. _He can’t! Yami and I don’t have protective magic, we’ll be…_

“Atem no!” Yugi rushed forward, grabbing the wizard’s hand without thinking. He felt a pulse course through his hand, and he winced at the intense emotions that coursed through him suddenly, but he refused to let go. He wouldn’t abandon the wizard.

_I can’t…_

_This feeling is so intense…_

_The heat… It’s too much…_

_Fight it! You have to fight it!_

_I can’t do this alone! I’m so tired of being alone…_

Yugi felt like he was choking from all of Atem’s feelings pouring through him. Yugi’s hand pulsed with energy, and he felt his powers being tapped into without him even realising it. _Am I… But this isn’t like when I normally tame something… I can… I can feel all of Atem’s emotions, all of his pain… Maybe I can…_

“Yugi!” Yami’s voice called out to the tamer, and Yugi blinked, raising his head to focus his attention on the innkeeper.

“Yami…”

“Yugi what’s going on? Are you okay? You need to get away from him, he’s too dangerous!”

“No… We’ll both die if I let go of his hand.” Yugi murmured, realisation dawning on him. _If I can just… Connect them together somehow… Fill the void and restitch it whole… I just need..._

“Yami… I need you to trust me… Please. I can’t do this without you.”

“Do what? What are you doing Yugi?”

“I’m trying to make this right.”

“I… I don’t know…” Yami frowned, moving to step back.

“Yami, you can’t keep living in the past,” Yugi said gently, his gaze locked with the innkeeper. “It’s like you said- it’s time you took that step forward, towards your future.” He held out his hand as he talked, his palm open.

Yami hesitated, his eyes moving down to stare at Yugi’s hand.

 _Come on Yami, you have to take this step yourself, I can’t help you. You made it this far…_ Yugi thought, bitting his lip. He was beginning to feel an ache in his other hand. It was small and he could brush it off, but if Yami waited too long, Yugi would be forced to seal off his magic and cancel the spell- freeing Atem and dooming them all to his fiery outburst. _And then Atem would never be able to recover from that,_ Yugi thought sadly.

A sudden weight on his hand brought Yugi’s attention back to the present, and he looked down in surprise.

Yami’s hand was on top of his.

“You… You took my hand. You did it.” Yugi smiled at the innkeeper.

“You’re right, Yugi. It’s time I stopped living in the past. I’ve been so stupid… But you… You always said you believed in me. And that means so much to me. If you believe in me, than I should make the effort to be worth believing in.”

Yugi felt his energy begin to mix with Yami’s, and suddenly his powers were flowing through both Yami and Atem.

The both of them began to shimmer with light, and it soon engulfed them, forcing Yugi to shut his eyes to avoid the harsh brightness. He could feel the presence of the two beside him, their energy pulses beating against Yugi’s own. But they were out of sync- Atem’s too fast and heated, and Yami’s too slow and cold to match Yugi’s.

 _Please… Just let me help you!_ Yugi thought, pouring out his emotions through the link. Anything he could do to help fix the wrongs that were done.

He knew the pain of living as a half-breed, but he saw now that wanting to become one whole race and not the other was not the answer. _There are parts of me that are human, and if I became a full breed elf, I’d lose those parts of myself… It’s the same Yami and Atem… They need each other to be the person they are, together._ _Without one, they can’t be whole._

Yugi blinked, noticing a sudden change in the pulses. Yami’s began to speed up as Atem’s slowed down slightly. They were beginning to match Yugi’s pace.

He concentrated on their hands- the thing connecting them all together. He noticed that his energy had begun to pour into the two, almost as if he had projected himself onto them. _Did my thoughts reach them? My feelings?_

He tried to open his eyes to check on the other two, but immediately closed them as a piercing light shone through.

_The light is so intense… It’s nothing like anything I’ve experienced with my magic before…_

His power continued to flow through his hands, and Yugi began to worry that he would exhaust himself before he could do… Whatever it was he was trying to do.

Then suddenly their pulses began to stutter, and the dull vibrating sound Yugi had been hearing before grew louder. It kept increasing in volume until Yugi was sure his sensitive ears would bleed from the pressure.

And then as soon as it arrived, the painful sensation disappeared, replaced with white noise.

Yugi felt the light shifting, and went to try and open his eyes again. He had them half open before he felt suddenly dizzy, like it was hard to stand, and then everything started falling as he saw nothing but spinning lights before blacking out.

* * *

 

Yugi opened his eyes, a hand shooting up to his head as a sudden wave of dizziness passed over him.

“Augh… What… What happened?” His mouth felt all fuzzy and it was hard to swallow. It was like all of his energy had been drained, and he could barely find the strength to stand.

 _Why am I… Where am I?_ He blinked, letting the gears in his head start working again while he tried to remember. _There was a flash, and I could feel my magic all around me, and…_

He frowned, not quite sure what to think. He remembered there was something important he had to do, someone he had to help, but…

Yugi tried to raise his head, lifting into a sitting position so he could survey the area better.

He was in a big room, and the floor around him was littered with broken glass shards. Just beyond where the glass stopped was a giant reddish mound with two red and yellow objects sticking out of it. There was something behind it, like a smudge of white, but Yugi couldn’t focus in on the details.

Then suddenly the fog in his mind cleared and his memory snapped back into him with all its intensity.

He was in Atem’s castle.

“Ryou! Arundel!” Yugi stumbled forward, crawling on his knees to avoid another dizzy spell. He didn’t care for the glass trying to cut his bare hands, he just had to check that his friends were alright.

He heard a loud groan, followed by Arundel’s form shifting slightly before he rolled over. Two green eyes appeared from the depths of his body, and they lazily looked over at Yugi before focusing.

 _Yugi? Is that you?_ The dragon’s voice spoke in Yugi’s mind, and he couldn’t help the sigh of relief that passed through his lips at hearing that voice again.

“Yeah Arundel, it’s me,” He nodded, craning his neck to try and see past the dragon. “Are you alright? Is Ryou alright back there?”

Arundel swerved his head behind him for a moment before swinging it back to Yugi’s side. _He’s fine, by the looks of it. His clothes show signs of being burnt, however. Yugi, what happened here? My last memory is of dropping Yami and the mage here off near the castle, and then I must have blacked out. What’s going on?_

“I’ll explain all the details later, but long story short, you got possessed by Atem’s magic, and Ryou and I were fighting you, and Yami was-“

Yugi suddenly snapped his head up, his eyes wide. “Yami! And Atem! I… We were…”

He tried to scramble to his feet, but his head still felt dizzy, and he stumbled forward, grunting at the pain.

“Okay Yugi, bad move… But… Where is Yami? And Atem?”

 _I cannot sense them._ Arundel said softly, moving forward to rest his snout against Yugi’s arm. _Here, lean your weight on me until you feel able to walk._

“Thanks.” Yugi nodded, slipping an arm around one of the dragon’s horns. _Now I just need to-_

The sudden sound of groaning caught their attention, and they both turned their heads to the source of the noise.

“Augh, what’s…” Ryou shook his head, shakily rising to his feet before he noticed Yugi and Arundel. “Yugi! Are you alright? And is the dragon… You know, back to not wanting to kill us?” He backed up slightly as he approached where Arundel was leaning over Yugi, looking very hesitant. Yugi noticed he didn’t have his staff on him, and wondered what happened to it during the fight.

“Arundel’s fine now, the spell is gone.” Yugi explained. Arundel scoffed, shaking his head lightly to avoid tossing Yugi’s supported weight off.

_I can’t believe I was weak enough for that to happen again. Shame on me._

“Don’t beat yourself up about it Arundel, it wasn’t your fault. Atem couldn’t control his powers, they were flaring up in ways he didn’t intent too.”

“Also it was partially Yami’s fault too, he’s the one who brought us here, really.” Ryou spoke up. Arundel shot him a glare, and he blew out a ring of smoke towards the mage.

Ryou swatted it away from him, coughing as he said, “Alright, alright! It was my fault too, we’re all to blame, so how about we blame nobody instead? Or just blame the elder’s council, everything is really their fault in the long run.”

“Now’s not the time to point fingers, Ryou.” Yugi sighed, pushing off Arundel. He took short steps forward, frowning when he didn’t see anything.

“Yami! Atem! Where are you?” Yugi called out, spinning his head around frantically and searching the room. _They couldn’t have teleported away, could they? Would Atem have done that? But he didn’t want to kill his other half… Did he?_ Yugi’s mind was whirling into overdrive with all the thoughts, and he found himself beginning to get dizzy again.

“Yugi slow down! You’re going to pass out again if you don’t take it easy.”

“But Atem… And Yami… I don’t see them anywhere.” Yugi braced a hand against his head. Why couldn’t he see either of them?

“Are they... You know… Gone?” Ryou asked, staring at the spot where the other two had been fighting what seemed like mere moments ago.

“I… I don’t know...” Yugi frowned, coming over to stand beside the mage.

Arundel frowned- or at least Yugi thought he did, judging from his facial expression- but didn’t say anything, humming thoughtfully instead.

“Maybe whatever you did up here managed to merge the two back together? I think they’d be at peace now, if they finally returned into one being. Who knows, maybe we’ll see them again one day, as a whole person?” Ryou said. Yugi knew he was just trying to comfort him, but it did nothing to lessen the dull feeling that was forming in his chest.

_Could Ryou be right? Did I somehow merge their halves together? But I’m just a beast tamer, I don’t have that kind of wizard level power… I just wanted to help the both of them… I just wanted to help… Him._

“Not them… I don’t think there was ever a ‘them.’ In the end, Yami and Atem were the same, whether they admitted it or not. There wasn’t an innkeeper named Yami, and there wasn’t a ‘demon’ named Atem. There was only the Great Wizard Atem, both his dark, and his light.”

“How ironic then, that his light chose the name Yami.” Ryou remarked with a grin. Yugi couldn’t help his lip twitching up in amusement.

“Yeah, who would have thought this was how we’d spend our latest reunion, ey?”

“And all because you suggested we take down a dragon together,” Ryou snorted. “No offense, Arundel. Can’t say I’m going to forget about any of this anytime soon.”

The dragon snorted, but didn’t give any other indication that he was listening.

“I’m never going to forget him.” Yugi sighed, lifting his head to stare at the giant doors still standing shut at the far end of the room. _Is this the closing of a chapter in my life? Is this the last time I will ever see him again?_

“I won’t either,” Ryou admitted quietly. “And I’m going to make sure no one else forgets him too. His legend deserves to be told, not buried and written off as a tragedy.”

 _I too will make sure that half-breeds will never be treated like this again. We must learn from our mistakes, not hide them._ Arundel nodded at Yugi.

Yugi returned the gesture, a wistful smile on his face. The strength of his friends’ tones was enough to convince Yugi that the two would follow through on their words. “We’ll see him again.”

Ryou looked confused for a moment, cocking an eyebrow at how sure Yugi sounded. “How do you know though? What if he’s actually gone?”

“He’s not, I can… Feel it, I suppose. He’s not dead.” Yugi glanced back at his friend.

“Okay, assuming you’re right here- how would you recognise him? Neither of us have ever seen what he looked like back when he was one complete soul. I dare say he won’t look like either of his halves exactly, some similarities I’m sure, but still… He could be a whole different looking person.”

Yugi just smiled, put a hand on Ryou’s shoulder and laughed.

“I can’t explain it, Ryou. I just know. I’ll know it’s him.”

“Maybe it’s a beast tamer thing.” Ryou shook his head, smiling.

“Maybe…” Yugi agreed. “Or maybe it’s something else.”

“I swear, the greatest mystery of my life was never finding the Great Wizard Atem, it was working out how your mind works.” Ryou joked.

 _Well get in line, because I’ve seen its workings and even I do not know,_ Arundel huffed in good meaning.

“Better keep looking then, because even I don’t know, and neither does Arundel.” Yugi snickered.

He glanced over at the gaping big hole in the wall where the glass window had been. The sun was nowhere to be seen, which lead Yugi to believe that it was setting in the opposite direction, behind the massive doors. The afternoon would soon be over, and night would be upon them.

“We should probably head off now, it’s getting late,” Ryou spoke up from beside Yugi, staring through the hole as well. “Unless you wanted to stay here the night?”

“No, I think I’ve been here long enough,” Yugi sighed, side glancing the window one more time before turning around, heading towards the doors. “It’s time we left, Ryou.”

“No need to sound so serious.” Ryou patted Yugi’s shoulder before ruffling his hair. Yugi swatted his hand away, shaking his head.

“I know, I know. I just can’t help it. Hanging around Atem for so long rubbed off on me I guess.”

“It shows- you’re _almost_ as sarcastic as me now.” Ryou chuckled.

“Can’t say I’ll ever be that sarcastic, but I’ll try, Master Ryou.” Yugi gave a mock bow.

“You better- I don’t want to have to lecture you.” Ryou warned, waggling a finger.

He suddenly sighed, running a hand through his hair. Yugi noticed that the mage looked as bad as he himself felt. If he didn’t already have white hair, Yugi had a feeling Ryou would be sporting some more with how aged he looked from all the stress. _This has all taken a toll on Ryou as well… I had almost forgotten._ _This would made anyone rethink their lives, especially since Ryou’s whole career was based on the lies the elder’s told him and his peers. I hope he’ll be alright._

“I hope that we can help the people see the truth now. I don’t want… I don’t want him to be forgotten- or worse, remembered as a monster by those few who survived like Marik.” Yugi sighed, the weight of everything beginning to harden on his shoulders. The sudden exhausted rippled through Ryou as well, he could tell.

 _Allow me to fly you both to Harrowlarn,_ Arundel spoke up, his head poking down between the two, causing Ryou to jump back slightly in shock. _It’s been a long, emotional day for all, and you both seem to be dead on your feet. I promise I will try my hardest not to crash._ He added, winking down at Yugi.

“Maybe we should…” Yugi muttered back.

“Let me guess,” Ryou sighed, his face already masked in defeat. “Flying on the dragon?”

“Unless you want to camp in the forest tonight.” Yugi offered with a weak smile.

“Fine, fine. I’m sure Marik will want to hear what happened anyway.” Ryou shrugged.

“We better be off then I guess.” Yugi said, flashing a smile at Ryou before pulling the doors open. The afternoon light crept into the hall, and Yugi took a second to watch as it poured over the musty carpet and other areas that hadn’t seen light in years. It was bittersweet- the whole feeling of the day ending. Unlike most other days, it felt like the end of something to Yugi, although what he couldn’t work out.

 _With the sun setting comes darkness and night… And the end of the light. How poetic,_ Yugi scoffed at himself.

He stepped out of the shadow of the doors, turning to watch the mountains to the west as they were bathed in the dying sun’s glow.

_Everyone deserves time in the sunlight… A chance to shine, and be proud of who they are… I hope you’re shinning now my friend, wherever you are…_

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is- only the epilogue left! It's fairly short, so if I can ever get around to wrapping it up decently it should be up soon~  
> I'll refrain from all the 'I'D LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY' speeches until the next chapter's authors notes, bwhaha xD But let me just say thanks for getting this far. I know it's not the best story- I feel like since I lost so much motivation this past month I've sacrificed some of the passion I had originally for the story- but I really appreciate that you'd give it a try. I hope you liked it! It's not easy to stay motivated with a 100K+ story, let me tell you that, but I'm almost there... SO CLOSE bwhahha xD See you all at the epilogue next chapter, and thanks again for reading- it really means a lot :''D


	15. Epilogue- Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the final chapter of TLD! :D It's been a wild ride, but I'll save my shout outs till the end notes- see you there! B)  
> Chapter Title is Everything by Lifehouse

 

_You are the light,_

_That’s leading me._

_To the place,_

_Where I find peace again_.

 

The scratching sound of a pen being drawn across paper ricocheted across the room in tiny bursts of sound. The constant repetitive scraping would usually annoy anyone and everyone, but to Yugi it was soothing. In a way, the paperwork reminded him of something that stayed constant in his life. Something that kept his mind busy and away from the dark areas it would occasionally wonder in to.

He was worried that one of the leaders in one of the new or old cities down south wouldn’t approve his new law. Although he did hold a fair amount of sway over the city councils these days (knowing the head of the Mage’s council was a bonus), there would occasionally be someone who wouldn’t agree with the changing times, and would cause Yugi more trouble than needed.

 _I suppose there will always be those that are stuck in the past and refuse to move on,_ Yugi thought, shaking his head. He couldn’t understand why people would reject the idea of progression. He was trying to make the world a better place, and if people thought that that was wrong, then there was nothing Yugi could do to persuade them otherwise. _Those that refuse to accept change will forever be stuck in the regret of the past, I suppose,_ Yugi sighed wistfully.

His eyes travelled to a framed portrait at the edge of his desk. It was one of Yugi standing next to his friend Ryou, with Ryou’s arm slung over Yugi’s shoulder and both of them smiling wildly. In the back was the head of a dragon leaning down so that they were on the same level as the two in the front. The burgundy colour and sharp emerald eye looking down at the others in the picture was such an Arundel thing to do Yugi couldn’t help but snicker at the shot. It really was the perfect picture, painted the day after the renovations on the castle had finished and they had all gone their separate ways. Yugi pulled the artwork towards him, stroking his hand over the faces of his friends. _Ryou… Arundel…_

Almost as if fate was listening in to Yugi’s thoughts, the distant beat of wings reached Yugi’s sensitive ears. A moment later Yugi found himself running over to the open balcony to greet the new arrival with a wide smile.

“Arundel.” Yugi smiled cheerily, looking up at the dragon.

 _Yugi, it’s nice to see you again._ The dragon rumbled back in greeting as he landed on the balcony. He folded his wings in, shaking and stretching his body as his sharp emerald eyes looked Yugi over. _You seem to have grown some more._

“Oh, not much I’m sure,” Yugi laughed jokingly. “I’m still shorter than most others, but who am I to argue with a dragon?”

 _Precisely- I’m always right._ Arundel replied smugly.

“A skill no doubt which comes in handy during your negotiations and travels. How was the sea, by the way? It’s been about a year since I’ve seen it.”

  _Not much has changed out that way I’m afraid, although it was rather nice to see the ocean again. Sea dragons are very fickle folk, and it takes quite a lot of patience to have to deal with them_.

“I can imagine. But at least you don’t have to deal with petty political speeches in the capital. I swear, if I have to sit through one more ‘for the good of the land’ speech, I’m going to gnaw my own ears off.”

_A bit drastic, don’t you think?_

“I’d like to see you sit through one then!” Yugi rose an eyebrow in challenge.

_You’d never get me into that city, even if you begged me._

“I could use my tamer powers on you.” Yugi boasted.

Arundel snorted, his eyes narrowing playfully _. Even with these two years of experience behind you, I doubt you could sway my power- I’ve been honing my skills as well these past few years, so much so that I believe not even Atem could sway me anymore._

“Whatever you say, o mighty dragon ambassador.” Yugi laughed, pushing against Arundel’s chest lightly, even though it didn’t even budge the dragon.

But the mention of the wizard struck a chord with Yugi, and he found his smile fading into a frown. He hadn’t heard anything after that fateful encounter two years ago, and he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t shown up in his thoughts frequently since then. He often wondered what had truly happened that day. Had he succeeded in his plan? Had he somehow managed to use his tamer powers to save the wizard? In the two years, his thoughts had often strayed to that fateful day, and he had found himself wondering just what had happened. Atem had just _disappeared_. There was no trace of him, no way for them to tell he had run away, and no…. _Corpse_. Yugi was truly baffled as to what had happened, but he had never stopped believing and hoping that Atem was alright- wherever he was, _whoever_ he was, right now.

“Do you think... That he’s doing okay, where ever he is?” Yugi spoke up suddenly.

_What do you mean?_

“I guess… I always believed that he had survived. Both of his halves were such strong people that I thought when they finally merged- if that’s even what happened- he would be strong enough, but now… I’m not so sure. I guess it has been two years, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve lost some of my faith.”

Arundel looked out onto the mountains below, a look of contemplation falling over his face.

_He has always been strong, that one. Even his human side possessed amazing will power. I’m sure that wherever he is, he’s strong enough to keep going._

“But is he happy….?” Yugi trailed off, watching the mountains and clouds with Arundel. The dragon didn’t respond immediately, instead keeping his eyes on the horizon before turning to watch Yugi thoughtfully.

_If I said yes, would it make you feel any better?_

“Maybe…?” Yugi sighed, shaking his head. “No, I guess it wouldn’t. I just wish I knew more about what happened to him. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel like I was wishing on fallen stars and dandelions.”

 _I know it can be hard._ Arundel started, his breath rustling Yugi’s wild hair as he sighed. _But try not to lose hope. I know you want to see him again, and if you keep believing, one day- you will._

“How can you be so sure?” Yugi asked, staring at his friend in surprise. The dragon sounded so sure of himself that Yugi was convinced that Arundel had never lost hope.

 _We dragons can sense these kinds of things, you know_. Arundel winked. He stretched his legs, his mouth opening wide in a yawn. _Well, I best be off._

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Yugi frowned, crossing his arms. “But you just got here! Can’t you at least stay the night? Catch up with me for a while?”

 _You mean reminisce on our adventures before we became ambassadors and became separated?_ Arundel smirked, and Yugi lowered his head, caught. He should have known Arundel would see through him like that.

“Yeah… Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and what we’re doing for Asren, but every now and then… I just get lonely, I guess. Ryou’s all the way down in Cyneric on the Mage’s council, and you’re always flying around, going to all these different places. I hardly see either of you anymore, and the most adventuring I get to do these days is when I have to attend meetings and conferences in the other cities. Otherwise I’m always swamped with work and get stuck being cooped up here all the time.”

_Times change, and life moves forward. We can either move along with it into the future, or be left behind to wallow in the past. Which one do you think he would have wanted?_

“I… I guess moving forward. I don’t think he would have wanted me to dwell in the past.” Yugi felt a small smile grace his lips at the tug of memories that came with it. He knew that the half of him that had been Yami would have wanted Yugi to stop milling around in his past, while the part that was dragon- Atem- would have told him to suck it up and charge forward, be strong.  

Arundel hummed in acknowledgement, his massive neck folding around to face Yugi’s open balcony section. _I must go now I’m afraid._

Yugi snapped his attention up to the dragon. “What do you mean go? You just got here!”

_I know, but I have to leave. I promise to visit again soon, but I have pressing matters._

Yugi sighed, shaking his head. “I know, I know. Our lives never really stand still now, do they?”

 _I’m afraid not._ Arundel made a rumbling sound, and Yugi guessed it was a groan. He turned around, walking leisurely over to the balcony with Yugi following with shorter steps.

Arundel stretched his wings, tapping the stone flooring lightly with his claws. _I best be off then. If all goes well, I should be able to visit you again a lot sooner._

“I should hope so- don’t let it turn into months,” Yugi scolded him lightly before smiling. “It gets kind of lonely up here without you guys around to stop me feeling old.”

_Old, bah. You have no concept of being old until you put your years into perspective with mine._

“Don’t try and talk yourself up- Ryou told me all about how you look as a human, I know your secrets.” Yugi teased.

 _Somehow it doesn’t surprise me that the mage would betray my most inner and darkest secrets._ Arundel said, the humour in his voice making his tone light. He regarded Yugi for a moment, shifting his head to look at him more clearly. _Perhaps you won’t be feeling so alone soon. Who knows? The world works in strange ways, and time can heal old wounds._

“Wait… What do you-“ Before Yugi could finish asking his question, Arundel snapped his wings forward, propelling himself off the balcony and out of the room. Yugi could only run to the edge and watch as the dragon swooped through the valley, gaining momentum to glide over the mountain tops and back down, out of Yugi’s sight.

Yugi sighed, shaking his head to try and look unimpressed, although the smile was still on his face. “Looks like someone’s been taking notes on how to be dramatic. I can only guess just how much influence Ryou had on that.”

He headed back to the table, glaring down at the papers still waiting to be marked.

“Augh, I am so not in the mood for this anymore.” Yugi groaned, stretching out his clothes as he pushed in his chair.

He scooped up the bottle of ink sitting on the desk, intending to move to his other study for a fresh view. Maybe it would help him get back into his work instead of getting lost in a sea of memories.

A sudden sound behind him made him spin around immediately, his spare fist balled as if ready for a fight.

“Trying to sneak up on me was your first mistake—” Yugi’s words caught in his throat as his eyes lit up in realisation when he saw the figure.

“I.. You…”

Yugi froze, losing all control of his hands as he dropped the bottle of ink. He hardly noticed as it smashed into the ground, the black substance spilling all over his carpet.

“I’d be more careful if I was you, you know,” A voice spoke up, and the stranger took a stride forward, motioning to the now stained material. “I did that too, a few years ago. Well, it was probably more going on seven, but still, I-“

“It can’t be.” Yugi interrupted, his voice thick with disbelief. He took a tentative step forward, his movements jerky. “I thought… It’s been…”

“About two years?” The stranger laughed shaking their head. “Yep, been about that long since I was last in this place as well. Glad to see you’ve kept the castle in good shape, too. Sorry for the horrible state I left it in but ah, you understand, since you were here, and all...”

Yugi’s mind was still trying to process the sight in from of him. _Is this even real…? It can’t be… It’s been too long. You’re just dreaming, Yugi, like so many other nights and days before you. It’s just a daydream, soon you’ll wake up and get all sad again._

“Whatever, I don’t have time for this. I have reports to write.” Yugi grumbled, turning around and returning to the desk. He completely ignored his original plan to move rooms and the broken ink bottle- he would ask one of the mages sometime later to help him deal with it.

“You… You don’t have time…?” The stranger’s voice called out, and Yugi could hear the disbelief in it. He glanced back to see a bewildered expression on the other’s face.

“Yeah, no time. I’m kind of busy, you know? Elf ambassador, pretty high standings with the council. Best friends with High Mage Ryou. I don’t have time to mess around with crazy hallucinations and daydreams anymore, so just leave, you’re not helping.”

“Yugi… You think I’m a daydream?” The stranger frowned, clearly upset by Yugi’s words.

“Um, yes? Why wouldn’t I? Although I’ll give you points, none of my other ones have ever looked like that before. You’re original, at least.”

“Other ones? You daydream about me frequently?” The stranger asked, stunned.

Yugi frowned. _None of my other hallucinations get this crazy… And I didn’t even drink last night… At least I_ think _I didn’t. Maybe I’m just overstressed from work._

“Why does it matter? You’re been a very weird illusion, you know. I think I’d prefer it if you went away now. I can’t get any work done while you’re here, and I’m _very_ busy.”

“Yugi… I’m not a daydream.”

“Heard that before.” Yugi rolled his eyes, turning back around to face his desk. _Maybe if I ignore it, it’ll go away._

Suddenly Yugi found himself being pulled away from the desk and to his feet.

“What the…?!” He was spun around, and he came face to face with the stranger.

“Yugi,” They muttered, touching their hand to Yugi’s. “I’m not an illusion, nor a hallucination. I’m real. I know you haven’t seen me in two years, and I’m sorry for disappearing on you like that. It was… Wrong of me, but I had to sort myself out- by myself. I had to learn how to be one whole person again, and not just two halves. I’m sorry for walking out of your life back then… And I know it’s hard for you to believe me, but… It’s really me. I’m back, Yugi. And this time, I’m not going anywhere- I promise.”

“I…” Yugi felt his hand against the strangers, how real it felt. All the curves and grooves of the skin against his own. _This feels… So real… But it can’t be…_

Yugi bit his lip, still sceptical. He titled his head up to search the stranger’s eyes, wanting some kind of further proof. They were two pools of deep red, a sea of endless emotions swirling in their depths.

“I… I can’t… I don’t know if I can believe you…” Yugi admitted, swallowing nervously.

“What can I do to make you believe me, Yugi?” The stranger asked, a tender smile on their face. “I would do anything. You don’t understand how much you mean to me Yugi. You gave me a chance, and you gave me my freedom back- my _true_ freedom, all I’ve ever wanted from life. To not be judged for who- and _what_ \- I am. And you gave me that. You looked at both halves of my soul, and you didn’t shy away from what you saw inside them. You…. You saved me, Yugi. And I’ve spent these past two years trying to find a way to thank you for this… And nothing I could think of could amount to a suitable enough gesture to express just how much this means to me.”

“You saved yourself as much as I did,” Yugi said, closing his eyes. He could feel the warmth from the other’s hand against his own. But the other’s hand was hotter, not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough that Yugi could tell. _This… This isn’t a daydream. There’s no way it could be… But that could only mean that… This is real…_ He’s _real._ “You both put your trust in me that day. It was your faith that overcame it all in the end.”

“But it was my faith in _you_ that saved us- me.” He pulled back his hand and held it out to Yugi again, and Yugi couldn’t help but flash back to when he had done the same thing two years ago.

“I… Ya-“ Yugi stopped himself, snickering softly. “What do I even call you now? Are you still Atem? Yami? A new name altogether?”

“Honestly, I’ve been using temporary names these past two years,” He admitted. “I haven’t felt like I was ready to take back my name yet…”

“And what about now? Are you ready now?” Yugi pressed, watching the other carefully. He had a feeling that the other had been waiting for when the time was right to reclaim his name- especially after everything his dragon half had done with it. _He must still feel bad about what he’s done, and refused to use his name until he was sure he deserved it._

“Well I’m here aren’t I?” He shrugged, a nervous smile on his face. “I mean… I hope I’m ready. I’m not sure… But I’m willing to try- if you’ll let me.”

“And that’s what matters... Atem,” Yugi nodded, putting his hand into the other’s. ”Learning from our pasts and moving forward. I think you deserve to reclaim your name now.”

“Thank you… I’ll try and make it a name worth having again… You sound like you’ve learnt a lot in these past two years, Yugi. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see it.” Atem looked guilty, his expression dropping. Yugi had no doubt that the wizard had wanted to see Yugi again sooner, but had refused to let himself- out of what, Yugi could only guess.

“Well I _am_ the ambassador between the elves and humans,” Yugi replied smugly. “One has to maintain an air of wiseness when dealing with people in positions of power.” He winked playfully. 

“Oh how I’ve missed you, Yugi.” Atem sighed, a smile touching his face. It seemed that the other couldn’t stop smiling, as whenever it dropped from his expression it would reappear moments later. _I guess he really is as happy to see me as I am to see him_ , Yugi thought, feeling his own smile broaden at the thought.  

“I’ve missed you too. I barely see Ryou and Arundel much these days- we’re always off doing our own thing, trying to make the world better in our own ways. And Marik is never home when I visit Harrowlarn, off adventuring somewhere I’m sure. I never see anyone much anymore… It gives me a lot of time to think.”

Atem tilted his head to the side. “And what is it you think of, Yugi?”

“Well… About everything, I guess. My life, how it’s changed, how everything has changed. I’m not just some nobody half breed anymore- I’m an ambassador! I’m using my experience to help change the world- for the better, I hope. And it really has showed. When I make the trek down south, I see people no longer ashamed of their mixed blood. Arundel has even been helping to make sure that anyone with dragon origins receives proper care and training, if they have any concerns or problems.”

Atem’s eyes lit up at that, and they widened in surprise. “Truly? You’ve been helping others like me? I didn’t think half breeds like me still existed, what with the decline in dragon activity and distance between the two races, and I haven’t spent that long around other people much during my travels over the past two years...”

“It’s true, we haven’t run into many, and I have a hunch that a few still out there wish to stay hidden from the attention to continue living their lives. But the ones that we do find seem grateful for the help and concern. I’m glad I can offer them the help they need.”

“Wow… That’s… That’s really amazing of you Yugi. I’m so happy that they won’t have to experience the prejudice I had to,” Yami laughed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I’m just so… I’m touched by your generosity.”

“You can thank Arundel and everyone else who offers their support to what we do. I just came up with the idea, really—“

“Shh,” Atem put a finger over Yugi’s mouth, and the suddenness of the action cut Yugi off from what he was going to say. “Enough. You are selling yourself short and refusing to take the credit where the credit is due. I think that’s how the saying goes at least. But still, you need to accept my praise- you’re doing something I never thought would be possible, and it’s amazing. Now accept that you’re a good person and stop this notion that you’re not.”

Atem rose an eyebrow in challenge, only removing his hand from Yugi’s lips when he nodded his acknowledgment.

“What are you, my conscious? Can’t say I’ve had someone tell me of my flaws in a while.” Yugi laughed in good nature. He didn’t mean anything harsh about the comment, but thinking it over he realised that it was true- ever since the events of two years ago, he hadn’t had anyone really point out his flaws to work on. His thoughts drifted back to that one day in Dunstan, when he had a philosophical conversation with a horse. He knew he had personally worked on making amends with how he thought of the world, and he thought he had been doing well.

Yugi scoffed at himself, shaking his head sadly. “Just listen to me complaining so much. You’d think I had it rough or something.”

“You can have hard times, even if it seems your life is better than ever. Everyone has low points sometime in their life.”

 _Ouch, he’s got me there,_ Yugi thought with a wince. “Once again Atem, you prove that I still have much to learn. Thank you.”

“You were always the one telling me to get my head out of the past and move on,” Atem grinned. “If I hadn’t listened to you, I would still be wallowing in my self-pity and anger. It is I that should be thanking you, really.”

“I’m glad I met you Atem- both of you. I’m also glad you feel ready to take back your name now. It’s nice, being able to call you by your name, without you having to worry about… Well, it, I guess. I’m sorry, I feel like I should have said something meaningful there but I just-“

It’s alright Yugi- I understand what you’re talking about,” Atem laughed. “And you’re right, it is nice to finally have my name back and it feel like… It’s actually my name, you know? It feels like I’ve earnt the right to be called by it again, although I’m not sure if I’ve really done anything besides assess my self-worth over the past two years. But I guess in a way, that was what I had to do to rediscover my purpose.”

“And what did you realise?” Yugi asked. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious to see what decision Atem had reached after spending so long thinking his life over.

“Well,” Atem began, crossing his arms as he tilted his head in thought. “A lot of things, for a broad answer. But I think the one thing I felt strongly about the most was my desire to never let what befell me happen again. I didn’t want anyone else to suffer like that. But it looks like you’ve felt the same, and have acted on it before I had even realised this. Truly amazing. But I think, if you wanted to get down into the heart of what my problems were, then I came to the realisation that all I ever wanted was to be accepted. My whole world was turned upside down and destroyed because of other people’s prejudiced. Fear of the unknown is such a powerful tool, and people can use it to twist things in wicked ways. It was this fear that destroyed my life, and I don’t want anyone else to ever suffer from this.”

“And that’s why we’ve all worked so hard to influence the world enough to make that difference. We didn’t want to see anyone else suffer like that either, and your story deserved to be told.”

Atem smiled nodding in agreement. He seemed at a loss for words, and was hesitant to continue, so he just nodded again and stared down at his feet, shuffling awkwardly.

The two eased into a lull in the conversation, and Yugi became unsure of what to say next. Atem seemed to be awkwardly standing there, content not to start up the conversation first, although Yugi could tell he had more to say. Then Yugi suddenly remembered something he had discovered through Ryou, and thought it was worth mentioning to the wizard.

“You know...” He started, watching as Atem snapped his attention up to Yugi. He supposed he was a more interesting focal point than the ground, but Yugi thought it was nice that Atem cared so much about what he had to say. “Your friend Mahaad is still alive.”

And that gained Yugi Atem’s complete undivided attention as his eyes shot wide open.

“M-Mahaad? Alive? But how… I thought he died, I thought somehow he got caught up in the ritual, or that the mages’ council tried to dispose of him… How…? Where…?” Atem could barely compose himself, his face betraying all the emotions running through his mind.

“How? I’m not sure, Ryou said something about him losing his titles from interfering with official business several years ago. It was all very hush hush stuff, but since my best friend is the head mage now, I kind of get the juicy gossip when I visit,” Yugi laughed, scratching his cheek awkwardly. “But yeah, turns out he got into trouble and lost his titles, but when Ryou heard about this he restored them, since he felt that Mahaad had been accused wrongly, which he had. Ryou has been very thorough with uncovering and unearthing all of the Mages’ Council’s hidden secrets. Mahaad’s a wizard now.”

“That must mean… That he was there that night. He was involved in the ritual. But if he interfered, does that mean…? Did he…?” Atem couldn’t seem to form his thoughts properly.

“Did he interrupt the ritual and potentially was the cause of you not getting your name sealed away? Yes, I believe he was, and Ryou does too. He hasn’t outright said it- in fact, he says that he was knocked out that night and didn’t do anything, but Ryou believes that he’s trying to cover up your existence. I'm not sure if Ryou’s told him about everything that’s happened since- I haven’t even met the guy sadly. I get stuck up north here for a lot of my time.”

“I…” Atem looked like he was about to faint, his legs taking small jutting steps as if he was losing support with them.

Yugi reached forward to guide one of Atem’s arms around his shoulders, bracing a hand on his back. “Woah, you look like you’re about to collapse, you better sit down.”

“I… Yeah maybe,” Atem snorted, shaking his head. “I just… Here I thought I’d be the one surprising you into fainting, and yet I’m here in your arms instead.”

“Well I’d offer to trade places, but I don’t want you collapsing on top of me,” Yugi teased, leading Atem towards the door. “I’ve got another study nearby with a sitting area. Let’s get you over there."

“Guess I can’t wow you with any teleportation now can I?”

“Not unless you’ve improved with it- I’ve already experienced it before, remember?”

“Ah yes, I do, but that was corrupt magic and I would assume not very fun for you. Teleportation is a lot more fun when it’s clean and not stemming from dark shadow magic.”

“I’d bet.” Yugi laughed, and Atem soon joined in.

“I just can’t believe so much has happened while I was gone. I kept up with what little news I could listen into, but still… So much has changed.” Atem sighed, his expression wistful.

“Don’t faint on me yet.” Yugi said jokingly.

“Don’t worry, I think I’m actually starting to feel better now, I won’t be fainting anytime soon- I hope. It would be a bad start to my return as a wizard.” Atem flashed a smile.

“That’s good,” Yugi hummed. “So, you given any thought as to where you’ll go next?”

“Next? Hmm… well I definitely want to go visit Mahaad now, I really want to see him again and talk to him… And apologise and ask for his forgiveness… And thank him, I guess. I really need to thank him.”

“Right, right… Anywhere else?”

“A little eager to be rid of me already are we?” Atem teased.

“Nah, just curious what your plans were.” Yugi said, keeping his tone light. He bit his lip however, unable to stop his racing thoughts. If Atem left, then he would be alone again. He didn’t mind being alone sometimes- it helped him get through a lot of the work he had built up, and kept traveling easier to manage. And he _did_ have the other mages here studying. But he couldn’t deny that now that Atem was back- and _truly_ back- he wanted to spend time with the wizard, and get to know him properly, _truly_ know him. He had hoped that Atem would stay with him- even if it was just for a small time, it would make Yugi less lonely.

“Well,” Atem suddenly spoke up, and Yugi forced his lip back down to glance over at the other with a more happy expression. “Part of me was hoping I could reclaim my castle, but I suddenly find myself in the strange position of it already been occupied. I guess in this circumstance, I have two options. Option one is to challenge the current owner for the rights to the castle, in a fight of some sort, depending on their choice of power- I _am_ a wizard after all, very high class stuff. And option two is…”

“Is what?” Yugi asked when Atem paused for too long. He was impatient, he had to admit.

Atem turned towards Yugi, forcing the tamer to drop his hands as Atem untangled himself from Yugi.

“Option two is to ask the owner if they will allow me to stay with them, in this castle.”

Yugi couldn’t help it- he started laughing. Atem looked on, perplexed as Yugi suddenly broke out into a series of giggles that escalated into chuckles the more he went on. He even started crying he was laughing so hard, bringing his hands to his eyes as he messily wiped at the tears.

“Are you-?“ Atem started, moving closer to try and help somehow.

Yugi shook his head, trying to breathe normally again. “I’m… I’m fine,” He wheezed. “I just…”

“You just what?” Atem pressed gently.

“I just thought you were going to leave.” Yugi said once he had composed himself enough. “I thought you were just here to come back into my life and then leave again. It’s a petty thought, I know, and selfish of me to think so.”

“It’s not selfish,” Atem said, his expression serious but understanding. “After all, you haven’t seen me in two years, and I just appear suddenly out of nowhere and with no warning and tell you I might be leaving again… That was so stupid of me, what was I thinking-“

“No you’re fine. I should have expected it honestly, especially since you thought your friend was dead. If I had heard Ryou was still alive after thinking he was dead I’d want to do the same thing.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then I suppose I should ask properly then.”

“Ask what?” Yugi blinked in confusion.

Atem snorted, smiling at Yugi’s confused face. “If I may stay?”

Yugi groaned, cursing his stupidity at forgetting what they had just been talking about. “Of course, yes! Yes you can stay! You don’t even need to ask me- in fact, I should be the one asking you to stay!”

“Why would you be asking me? That’s just confusing, I’m the one out of place here.”

“But I’m the one who wants you to stay the most.”

“But I want to stay here- it is, technically, _my_ castle still.” Atem teased.

“Still… It just feels weird, I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Well, the way I see it, you have a lot of time to work it out, and I’ll be here for whenever you do.” Atem smiled.

“I guess, yeah,” Yugi laughed, shaking his head. “Just promise me one thing?”

“Of course, anything.” Atem answered without a second of hesitation.

“Stay with me?” Yugi asked, offering his hand.

Atem looked confused for a moment, before his expression changed and he smiled, placing his hand on top of Yugi’s. “Of course- I promise. It’s like I said before, I’m not going anywhere- not without you.”

 

\- fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 27/5/16- SO HOLY CRAP a very amazing person over on Tumblr by the url of Jellifisk drew [this incredible piece of fan art](http://jellifisk.tumblr.com/post/144181612628/finally-did-some-nicer-art-for-ashethehedgehog) for this story!! It's drop dead amazing and I'm still crying over it ;;v;; Go check it out!!  
> And that's it folks! The end of this story which is 120K words and 15 chapters when it was supposed to be like 90K and 13 chapters RIP Still, I had a lot of fun working on it! Had some ups and downs, but overall I'm glad I took the plunge and put the time in to complete it~  
> Okay, so I just want to take a second to give thanks to a massive nerd who helped me out a ton with this- Ren (renrink on Tumblr). Ren's a huge nerd, and you can all thank her for the chance to read this, because if she hadn't told me it was worth posting I probably wouldn't have posted it. But every time during the early stages of writing (pre-chapter nine p much) whenever I felt super down and felt like I would never have the motivation to finish this fic, Ren appeared out of nowhere and dealt me some serious encouragement, and honestly it meant so much to me and got me back on track with writing :D So thanks to this huge nerd who's the best and gave me the original inspiration to actually write this fic B)  
> Also thanks to my gang of Puzzleshipping nerds Ginrou and Tarashima over on Tumblr (because we have a Skype group called The Puzzle Gang, get it? Ha!), for keeping me inspired with their wonderful comments towards the end especially, when I was lacking serious motivation. Also Tarashima for basically doing the thing I do when I write comments and screaming at me about things in the story and I love it it's kept fueling me this whole time :''''''D  
> And that's all I have to say! I hope if you got this far that you enjoyed the story! Feel free to comment and let me know if you did, so I know people actually read it ahaha xD But seriously thanks for all the support everyone! And YOU, for reading it (cheesy, I know, but I'm incredible cheesy HA) :D I have plans for another story, hopefully coming sometime towards the end of the year if all goes well (and I feel like it's decent enough to share RIP), but as for MWAU/TLD this is the end for our gang! Hope you enjoyed the story, and thanks again for reading it! ;;v;;


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